"Dateline NBC" tactics upset NASCAR
By Bob Pockrass
Friday, April 07, 2006
FORT WORTH, Texas -- NASCAR is upset with "Dateline NBC" for sending people wearing traditional Muslim dress to Martinsville Speedway in what NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston said was an attempt to "intentionally provoke a reaction" and "create and manufacture a story."
"Dateline" is investigating treatment of Muslims at various events.
At Martinsville last weekend, the Muslim-looking people set up mats and started praying, Poston said April 6. He said NASCAR was unaware of any discriminatory treatment by the race fans.
"If they want to capture some of our Muslim fans in their regular course of their lives and film that and ask them how they've been treated, absolutely [that is fine]," Poston said. "What is objectionable is trying to plant people to intentionally provoke a reaction. ... What really is offensive is that you have what is supposed to be a legitimate news organization out there trying to manufacture news rather than simply report on it."
NBC responded to a series of stories reporting on the incident with an e-mail statement April 6.
"There have been a lot of inaccurate comments about a potential story 'Dateline NBC' has been looking into," it read. "'Dateline' is not planning a story about NASCAR. We are following up on a recent poll and other articles indicating an increase in anti-Muslim sentiment in the United States. We are curious about whether that is true. The NASCAR race at Martinsville was a stop we have made in our research on this story, which may take us across the country.
"There is nothing new about the technique of witnessing the experience of someone who might be discriminated against in a public setting. Government agencies and journalists do it all the time to explore important issues like potential discrimination in real estate, employment and public services. For this story, we also wanted to take a look at large public gatherings, including sporting events.
"'Dateline' has barely begun its reporting on this topic. We can assure you that what we broadcast, if anything, will be fair and accurate."
NBC is in its last year as a broadcast partner of NASCAR, but that is not what is upsetting, Poston said. He said NBC Sports did not know anything about the story "Dateline" was working on.
"We expect every news organization, whether they are partners of us, to go out and cover the news as it happens," Poston said. "If there is a legitimate news story out there that doesn't make NASCAR good, then that's a fair story. ... What bothers me is that's not what has happened here. They are going out there trying to create and manufacture a story."
