MediaStars Commentary

Today’s extensive coverage of the Embassy attacks underscores the true strength of NBC News as well as the significant talents of Matt Lauer, Savannah Guthrie, Natalie Morales, Richard Engel, Andrea Mitchell, Peter Alexander, Kristen Welker, Chuck Todd, among many others. We committed substantially more airtime to this important breaking news story than other broadcasts: from the first Today show reports at 7am ET… through a one hour-plus special report. 

All week, Ann Curry has delivered unique coverage of the refugee crisis on the Syrian border. Simply put, this is the only news organization devoting this much attention to these kinds of stories.

Yesterday, we made an editorial call resulting in the September 11^th moment of silence not being seen. While we dedicated a substantial amount of airtime to the anniversary events, we still touched a nerve with many of your viewers… and for that we apologize. At NBC News, have taken great pride in the manner in which we have told the stories of September 11^th. From the first moments of the attack, as documented live on TODAY in 2001 … through every anniversary and development since, we are mindful of that legacy and our responsibilities.

This morning we had the opportunity to recommit ourselves to serious journalism and coverage. You’ve seen how brilliant Savannah and Matt are together.. especially when backed-up by the unparalleled strengths of this news division. We’re proud of our teams today… and continue to focus on presenting the best possible broadcasts and worldwide news coverage for your stations.

Thanks for your attention…

-Steve Capus

Steve Capus

NBC News President

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