Milwaukee radio station edited Biden interview before air, at campaign’s request
A radio station in Milwaukee edited clips of its interview with President Biden before airing it after his campaign requested certain segments be cut, the station acknowledged.
According to a release Thursday from Civic Media, the July 3 interview with Biden, which aired the following day on "The Earl Ingram Show," was edited.
“It was reported to Civil Media management that immediately after the phone interview was recorded, the Biden campaign called and asked for two edits to the recording before it aired,” the company said.
Civic Media said the production team thought the edits to the interview were “non-substantive” and allowed the president’s interview to be published with “two short segments removed.”
The interview came as part of the Biden campaign’s efforts to ease voter’s concerns after his poor debate performance. Democrats are worried that the 81-year-old president is unable to beat former President Trump in the election this fall and serve another four years if he is reelected.
Civic Media said it was sharing the edited segments and made the full, unedited interview available “in the interest of transparency.”
“Given the gravity of the current political movement, the stakes in this election, and the importance of public scrutiny of public officials in the highest office, we believe it is important to share this information,” the organization wrote.
The first clip that was taken out of the original interview includes Biden saying he has “more Blacks in my administration than any other president, all other presidents combined, and in major positions, Cabinet positions.”
The second clip that was taken out of the interview is Biden talking about Trump’s call for the death penalty for the Central Park Five.
“I don’t know if they even call for their hanging or not, but he — but they said … convicted of murder,” Biden said.
The organization admitted it failed to meet journalistic standards, but it stands by the host, Earl Ingram, and his team because the decision to edit the interview was “made in good faith.”
A Biden campaign spokesperson said in an emailed statement to The Hill that “hosts have always been free to ask the questions and air the segments they think will best inform their listeners.”
Civic Media was one of two radio stations that interviewed Biden recently. The president's interview with a Black-owned station in Philadelphia also recently made headlines. The radio host interviewing Biden admitted she used questions the Biden campaign provided her with in advance.