NBC Dateline Touts Lie Detector in Zamora Case

[George W. Maschke]

As mentioned on the blog, NBC Dateline will tonight (Easter Sunday, 8 April 2007) be featuring a story that prominently features the results of a lie detector "test":

http://insidedateline.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/04/05/113012.aspx

Commentary on the story is welcome both here and on the blog.

[George W. Maschke]

A transcript is now available here:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17965475/

[George W. Maschke]

Video of the polygraph segment of this report is available on-line here.  I find the part where Stone Philips asks Zamora, "So, why would a polygraph test indicate that you were being deceptive, when you answered that you hadn't struck her?" particularly distasteful. No one should be called upon to explain why an invalid test may have produced inaccurate results.

Regardless of what you may think about whether Diane Zamora was telling the truth, if you believe, as I do, that Dateline's presentation of this lie detector "test" as if it somehow had any evidentiary value was inappropriate, then please send a note to Dateline at dateline@msnbc.com and let them know about it.

[Paul]

so does this mean breathing countermeasures can be detectable, the reporter said that she was using a breathing caountermeasure, I thought that you cant detect countermeasures?

Paul

[George W. Maschke]

Paul,

As noted on the blog, the supposed "countermeasures" Diane Zamora was accused of employing (whether hyperventilation or deep breathing) are not, in fact, things that would help a person pass a polygraph examination. Indeed, her supposed "countermeasures" were of a kind that no one with any understanding of polygraph procedure would employ.