(11/21/2005)

NBC Slanders Minutemen as Mass Murderers

Border volunteer group portrayed as lawless murderers

TOMBSTONE, AZ (November 17, 2005) – As a result of the outcry by Minuteman volunteers and their supporters nationwide, the National Broadcasting Company (“NBC”) removed the name “Minutemen” from its on-air promotion yesterday of the Law & Order episode, “New York Minute.”

While this represents a partial victory over NBC’s abuse of the good name of the Minutemen, it does not mitigate the harm done to the Minutemen nor the danger to them by NBC’s attempt to ‘enrage America’ at the Minutemen.

That NBC dropped the name “Minutemen” from its on-air promotion demonstrates the network recognized it had a severe problem on its hands.

Chris Simcox, President of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, Inc. (“MCDC”), issued the following statement denouncing NBC for its slanderous promotion of the Law & Order episode last night that smeared the Minutemen as thugs and mass murderers:

“We endeavored in good faith to contact NBC regarding our concerns about the promotion and broadcast of the ‘New York Minute’ episode of Law & Order that aired last night. Unfortunately, NBC refused to respond to our numerous attempts to contact them and aired the episode.

“NBC repeatedly broadcast promotions for the episode that stated ‘was it murder or Minutemen protecting our borders?” Last night just hours before the broadcast, the NBC Web site for Law & Order displayed the text, ‘Cold-blooded murder or Minutemen vigilantes on the U.S. border?’

“Even though the episode itself used the name ‘Countrymen’ for the border watch group instead of ‘Minutemen’ as advertised, damage had already been done to the Minutemen by NBC’s incessant naming of the ‘Minutemen’ in its promotion and campaign to entice and inflame the public leading up to the broadcast.

“We held out hope that the episode would end with a plot twist that reflected the truth: that it is smugglers who threaten, kidnap and murder their human cargo. However, NBC portrayed the group advertised as the Minutemen, in real life a group of civilian volunteers with an unblemished record of non-violence, as gunning down a human trafficker, attempting to kidnap at knifepoint an illegal alien and of literally cooking to death a dozen illegal aliens in a cargo truck.

“NBC promised the episode would ‘enrage America.’ Because of that provocative statement and the false light in which NBC portrayed the Minutemen, members of our group have reason to fear acts of violent retribution against them and their families by enraged Americans and others who believe that Law & Order stories are ‘ripped from today’s headlines.’

“NBC has acted with reckless disregard for the truth in an effort to harm the Minutemen by its promotion and broadcast of the Law & Order episode, ‘New York Minute.’ That NBC did this during November sweeps when the network tries to maximize ratings so as to line its pockets with increased advertising dollars makes this slander of the Minutemen even more despicable.”

The sister organizations Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, Inc., and the Minuteman Project, Inc., are recognized nationally as the founders and leaders of the civilian border watch and day labor site observation movement. The names “Minutemen” and “Minuteman” are regularly used by the public and the media to describe our organizations and our members.

The Minutemen have rescued hundreds of men, women and children who have been abandoned to die in the desert wilderness by their human traffickers.