Dateline NBC Defends Their Decision to Plant Muslims At A NASCAR Race

 ‘Dateline’ defends planting Muslims at NASCAR race

Updated 4/6/2006 11:38 PM

By Nate Ryan, USA TODAY

After bringing Muslim men to Martinsville Speedway in Virginia to gauge the reaction of NASCAR fans, Dateline NBC won’t have its cameras at Texas Motor Speedway this weekend.

In a statement released Thursday, NBC defended its reporting tactics, saying “there have been a lot of inaccurate comments” and that Dateline “had barely begun its reporting.”

“Dateline is not planning a story about NASCAR,” the statement said. “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.

“There is nothing new about the technique of witnessing the experience of someone who might be discriminated against in a public setting.”

NASCAR officials were angry after learning Dateline recruited Muslims to attend the DirecTV 500. NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston said the group walked around outside the track without any reaction from fans.

“It’s outrageous that a news organization like NBC would seek to create the news instead of reporting the news,” Poston said.

NASCAR is in the final year of a contract with NBC Sports, which will broadcast the second half of the Nextel Cup season.

Seriously!?  First of all, they are clearly sterotyping NASCAR fans. My family happens to be extreme NASCAR fanatics and so are many of their friends. Many MUSLIMS I know watch NASCAR.  I have never really been partial to it myself. Though, the people I know who watch NASCAR are not backward country bumpkins or  kkk members ready to pounce on anyone who is a different race or religion. In fact, the NASCAR fans I know LOOOOOOVE their MUSLIM DAUGHTER, SISTER, AUNT, AND FRIEND!  Maybe some NASCAR fans are racist, maybe some of them would have made rude comments or even emboldened by alcohol made a physical move. I dare say, that could happen in any sport.  Look at all the fights that break out in the stands in basketball games, baseball games, hockey games, etc. Usually they involve no Muslims at all. Yet, people still find a reason to fight.It is ridiculous the amount of sterotyping that goes on in today’s world and the amount that people are willing to endure.