NEW YORK (Sputnik) – At least two-dozen activists attended the rally that ended peacefully with no arrests.
"As Americans, we are simply insulted and outraged when NBC News was reporting wrong distorted information about the attempted coup in the Republic of Turkey," Turkish American community activist Ibrahim Kurtulus said during the rally.
Right now @sibeledmonds and other activists are requesting #NBC to retract their false news and apologize to Turkey.https://t.co/waVFghHFoR
— Tevfik Uygur (@tevfik_uygur) August 4, 2016
Kurtulas was referring to a July 15 report by NBC News that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attempted to seek asylum in Germany during the coup attempt.
"[We are] demanding a public explanation and retraction from NBC on the false reporting against a freely elected government of the Republic of Turkey and its president Recep Teyyip Erdogan," Kurtulas added.
Some activists, including National Security Whistleblowers Coalition founder Sibel Edmonds, went as far as labeling NBC as an orchestrator of the failed coup.
"In this case, [NBC] actively and directly participated in an illegal failed coup attempt against a sovereign nation. This has never happened before," Edmonds said.
The report was picked up by dozens of news organization across the world before it was taken down from NBC News’ website.
"From Telegraph and Guardian UK, Washington Post to New York Times, to newspapers in France and Germany, they printed false information that was planted and circulated by NBC News," Edmonds said. "NBC News is no longer a news agency. It is working in terrorist operations against sovereign nations."
On July 25, the Turkish Embassy in Washington DC sent an official request for a public retraction and an apology from NBC News.
Sputnik has reached out to NBC News for comment but has not received a reply.
