MILWAUKEE (TND) — The Milwaukee radio station that conducted a post-debate interview with President Joe Biden aired the segment with edits requested by his campaign, its parent company said Thursday.
Earl Ingram, who hosts a show for the Civic Media radio network, interviewed the president last week. The network cut out two clips from the segment about Black officials in the Biden administration and the Central Park Five, it said.
“In the interest of transparency, and consistent with Civic Media’s mission and core values, we are sharing the edited segments now, and making the full, unedited interview available,” the network wrote in a statement.
Biden told Ingram he had more Black people in his administration than all other presidents combined, adding they were in “major positions.” He also noted former President Donald Trump said the Central Park Five, a group of Black and Latino teenagers, was convicted of murdering a jogger in New York City.
The Biden campaign called Civic Media immediately after the interview, the network said, and asked it to cut the comments before they aired.
“Given the gravity of the current political moment, 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 network wrote.
The Earl Ingram Show’s production team thought the edits were unimportant and made them before airing the interview, according to the statement. Civic Media noted it disagrees with the team’s judgement at the time and failed to meet journalistic standards for the interview.
"We have taken this opportunity as a new media organization to clarify our internal policies to ensure that everyone in the organization understands the standards we expect for live and pre-recorded interviews, particularly for commentators and other non-news personnel,” the network wrote.
Civic Media added that it stands by Ingram, calling him a “crucial” part of the company and an “invaluable voice” for Milwaukee and Wisconsin.
“The decision to make the requested edits to the interview was made in good faith,” the statement reads. “While we disagree with the decision, we stand by our team. This has been a learning experience and we will do better moving forward.”
The Biden campaign did not immediately return The National Desk’s request for comment.
Have questions, concerns or tips? Send them to Ray at rjlewis@sbgtv.com.
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