With an ever-changing 24/7-news cycle, it’s refreshing to see some members of the liberal media taking the time to correct the record. While we at NewsBusters don’t usually give the liberals at NBC News much credit, for once they did a respectable job and did not completely fall for what now appears to be a complete scam by a New Jersey waitress.
You may recall last week that the media were all abuzz about a New Jersey waitress who claimed a religious family refused to tip her, writing on the receipt that they disapproved of her lifestyle. Well now New York City's NBC News 4 is reporting that a man has come forward with his copy of the receipt and a credit card statement to prove that he did, in fact, tip the waitress. What's more, this man denies he wrote the statement on her copy of the check, which says he disapproved of her lifestyle.
To his credit, MSNBC anchor Thomas Roberts relayed the story on his November 26 program. Roberts, who is openly gay, has long made his hour of daytime programming a platform for gay rights-related stories. He deserves credit for spotlighting the newest development in this story rather than leave his audience to go by the one-sided reporting they might have heard earlier in the week on MSNBC's Weekends with Alex Witt.
It was on Sunday that guest host Mara Schiavocampo briefly relayed the story of Dayna Morales and how in the aftermath of the media spotlight, she was receiving thousands of dollars in "tips" -- donations from complete strangers. Ms. Morales, a former U.S. Marine, pledged to give most of those monies to the Wounded Warrior Project.
Furthermore, during the November 26th NewsNation, host Tamron Hall during her "Gut Check" segment asked her viewers to vote on who they believed in this story, the waitress or the couple.
See relevant transcript below.
MSNBC
Weekends w/ Alex Witt
November 17, 2013
1:24 p.m. Eastern
MARA SCHIAVOCAMPO: Well, a New Jersey waitress says she was denied a tip on a $100 check not because of the quality of her service but because she's gay.
DAYNA MORALES: It hits home for a lot of people who have either struggled with anything in their life and just been put down.
SCHIAVOCAMPO: Dayna Morales posted the bill with the customer's handwritten anti-gay message online. It said, "I’m sorry, but I cannot tip because I don't agree with your lifestyle and how you live your life." Well since then, online supporters have been rallying behind the waitress, others filling the booths at the bistro where she works leaving extra large tips or some people coming in just to give her a tip alone. Morales says she plans to put some of that cash towards a good cause.
MORALES: I plan, being a veteran to send a portion of it to the Wounded Warriors Fund. It's great to see everybody’s support and I really do appreciate it but it doesn't excuse the fact or change the fact that it actually did happen.
SCHIAVOCAMPO: Since going public with her story, Morales has reportedly received more than $2,000 in donations. Turning the tables.
