Demands a jury of his peers.

George Zimmerman, the NBC-maligned Trayvon Martin shooter, sues NBC for “yellow journalism.”  Orlando Sentinel.  NYDN.  Wash Post.

The unspecified monetary damages defamation suit fingers NBC, reporter Ron Allen, and two Florida-based reporters fired for doctoring Zimmerman’s 911 tape.

“NBC News saw the death of Trayvon Martin not as a tragedy but as an opportunity to increase ratings, and so set about to create the myth that George Zimmerman was a racist and predatory villain.”

“Their goal was simple: keep their viewers alarmed, and thus always watching, by menacing them with a reprehensible series of imaginary and exaggerated racist claims.”

Zimmerman has a new website, GZvNBC, bringing to three the number of websites devoted to All Things Zimmerman.   The complaint took a shot at sagging Today show ratings right out of the gate.

“Defendants pounced on the Zimmerman/Martin matter because they knew this tragedy could be, with proper sensationalizing and manipulation, a racial powderkeg that would result in months, if not years, of topics for their failing news programs, particularly the plummeting ratings for their ailing Today Show as well as individual defendants to “make their mark” reporting a [manipulated] story such as this.”

“To magnify the racial overtones of their scheme, in addition to manipulating the substance of the call, the Defendants highlighted Martin’s minority status while not mentioning Zimmerman’s, who is Hispanic American, and by choosing misleading photos from years ago to identify Martin’s and Zimmerman’s appearances.”

NBC used this Martin photo.

Not this one.

CNN gleefully reported the lawsuit, sticking it to NBC at every opportunity:   “NBC’s President, Steve Capus, made a bogus non-apology that claimed the doctoring was merely a ‘mistake.’”

Read the 24-page complaint here.

(h/t Poynter)