Terror Victims Tribute Cut from Olympics Broadcast




(London, England) How often do mainstream media functionaries criticize the American public, unjustifiably I believe, for lacking empathy and compassion for tragedies outside the U.S.?

It happens, I contend.

If Americans are to be portrayed as callous, I would argue that the media are a large part of the recipe, as this report demonstrates.

US television network NBC has been slammed for cutting a sombre segment, believed to be a tribute to the victims of the 7/7 London terror attacks, from its coverage of the Olympic Games opening ceremony.

Instead, viewers were shown Ryan Seacrest's interview with swimmer Michael Phelps.

The performance, which was accompanied by the hymn 'Abide With Me', has been widely interpreted in Britain as a tribute to the victims of the bomb attacks that killed 52 commuters in London's transit network in July 2005.

The station defended its decision not to broadcast the memorial performance, in which spectators were asked to display photos of deceased loved ones.

"Our program is tailored for the US television audience," NBC Sports spokesman Greg Hughes said.

NBC edited out the tribute to terrorism victims as if they never existed.