Tipsheet

People Are Fuming That Savannah Guthrie Granted Covington Student an Interview

Social media can be a great tool for information and gives us a chance to interact with others who share our interests. Other times it can just make us shake our heads.

The "TODAY show" was the first media outlet to score a sit down interview with Nick Sandmann, the Covington Catholic high school student whose "smirk" was seen 'round the world last weekend. In a viral video that was filmed outside the Lincoln Memorial, Sandmann is seen smiling at a Native American veteran, named Nathan Phillips, who is beating a drum in the young man's face. At first watch, it seems as though Sandmann and his peers are taunting the man. Yet, when more footage and eyewitness testimony came out, we discovered that it was Phillips who first approached the boys.

Phillips was granted interviews with several media outlets and insisted the boys were "racist." In his own interview with NBC, Sandmann explained he was nothing of the sort.

“My position is that I was not disrespectful to Mr. Phillips," Sandmann said. "I respect him. I'd like to talk to him,” he said. “I mean, in hindsight, I wish we could've walked away and avoided the whole thing. But I can't say that I'm sorry for listening to him and standing there.”

While Sandmann had every right to to tell his side of the story, people fumed that NBC had the audacity to give him airtime. They also misinterpreted Saturday's incident.

Others tried to start a trend called #BoycottTodayShow.

But, the worst tweet of the bunch came from a "higher ed professional" who compared the teenager to KKK leader David Duke.

Um, a bit of a stretch.

More viewers demanded that NBC give Phillips equal opportunity to respond. Well, NBC News explained, they reached out to him for a comment but received no response.