From [HERE] Reuters published a highly sympathetic profile last night of Trayvon Martin's shooter, George Zimmerman, touching off a wave of comments from conservatives throughout the blogosphere.
The story starts off recounting the popular narrative about George Zimmerman, with Chris Franscescani writing, "During the time Zimmerman was in hiding, his detractors defined him as a vigilante who had decided Martin was suspicious merely because he was black."
But the tone quickly changes, with Francescani writing, "But a more nuanced portrait of Zimmerman has emerged from a Reuters investigation into Zimmerman's past and a series of incidents in the community in the months preceding the Martin shooting."
In one of the most striking parts of the article, the author delves into George Zimmerman's racial background. It speaks of Zimmerman's mixed Hispanic heritage, as well as his maternal grandmother, Cristina, who used to babysit for two African-American girls when Zimmerman was young and being raised by her. "They were part of the household for years," a family friend told Reuters, "until they were old enough to be on their own." [pure fantasy - and comedy - bw]
The article also mentions his 2004 business venture with an African-American friend, with whom Zimmerman "opened up an Allstate insurance satellite office." The partnership eventually floundered in 2005, as did a relationship that Zimmerman had started around the same time with a woman.
The piece echoes a statement made by Robert Zimmerman, the shooter's father, in which he defended his son against charges of racism to the Orlando Sentinel:
George is a Spanish speaking minority with many black family members and friends. He would be the last to discriminate for any reason whatsoever. One black neighbor recently interviewed said she knew everything in the media was untrue and that she would trust George with her life. Another black neighbor said that George was the only one, black or white, who came and welcomed her to the community, offering any assistance he could provide. Recently, I met two black children George invited to a social event. I asked where they met George. They responded that he was their mentor. They said George visited them routinely, took them places, helped them, and taught them things and that they really loved George. The media portrayal of George as a racist could not be further from the truth.
Many conservatives across the blogosphere seized on the Reuters piece as evidence that Zimmerman was not a racist and did not deserve the scorn that had been heaped upon him as the case skyrocketted in popularity.
One blogger with PJ Media wrote, "To recap: Not a self-appointed vigilante. Not a racist. Did not utter a racist slur and was not suspicious of Martin because of his skin color. Stand your ground laws probably don't apply to his case. Other than that, the MSM has done a bang-up job on this story."
[how many lies can you find in this peice of propaganada?]