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They take their Pledge pretty seriously in the US. Associated Press Photo
Under God

Pledge omission spoils US coverage of McIlroy's Open triumph

Viewers of NBC weren’t happy that the network messed around with the Pledge of Allegiance.

THE US TELEVISION network NBC has come under fire for its coverage of Rory McIlroy’s historic US Open win when it’s pre-game montage edited out the words ‘under God’ from the Pledge of Allegiance as it was being recited by US school kids.

With the tournament taking place at the Congressional Country Club near the nation’s capital Washington DC, the official broadcaster went with a patriotic theme as the Pledge of Allegiance was recited by schoolchildren, intercut with patriotic images.

However the words “under God” were omitted, with the second reference also eliminating the phrase “one nation.”

Watch:

A storm erupted on the Twittersphere, according to Mashable. As McIlroy ran rings around everyone else on hole after hole, US viewers were venting their anger that their pledge was doctored in this way.

Later NBC announcer Dan Hicks apologised for the editing during the course of McIlroy’s final round.

But criticism continued leading NBC to issue a statement earlier this week in which the network apologised for the distress the omission caused and blamed the error  on “a small group of people” remarking of their choice to alter the Pledge as “a bad decision.”

But the anger hasn’t stopped there with outspoken CNN anchor Jack Cafferty calling on the “morons” who edited the Pledge to be fired. Even the normally placid and analytical Wolf Blitzer said it was “a major blunder.”

We wonder what Rory made of it all…

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