A Wisconsin radio network has admitted to editing an interview with President Biden at the request of his campaign, raising concerns about the campaign's confidence in Biden's ability to navigate unscripted conversations.
A Wisconsin progressive radio network has sparked controversy by admitting to editing an interview with President Biden at the request of his campaign, raising concerns about the Biden campaign's confidence in the president's ability to navigate unscripted conversations.
Civic Media, the network that aired the interview, released a statement Thursday admitting that after an interview of Biden by host Earl Ingram recorded on July 3, the Biden campaign "called and asked for two edits to the recording before it aired." The interview aired the following day with two brief portions excised, including one where Biden made an incorrect remark about the "Central Park Five" case.
Biden Campaign Accused of Spoon-Feeding Questions to Radio Hosts
According to the station, the first edit came at 5 minutes and 20 seconds into the 18-minute interview, removing Biden saying, "and in addition to that, I have more Blacks in my administration than any other president, all other presidents combined, and in major positions, cabinet positions."
The removed portion came while he was boasting about his record of diversity in his administration and appointments, such as the confirmation of the first Black woman to the Supreme Court, Ketanji Brown Jackson.
Biden Campaign Accused of Spoon-Feeding Questions to Radio Hosts
The second edit came at 14 minutes and 15 seconds, where he was roasting former President Trump's call for the death penalty in 1989 for the "Central Park Five," the name for the wrongfully convicted Black and Latino youths in the rape of a New York jogger.
"He's falsely accused the Central Park Five, those guys who were arrested, he said they should all be convicted," Biden said. He went on to say, in the portion that was excised, "I don’t know if they even call for their hanging or not, but he, but they said convicted of murder."
Biden Campaign Accused of Spoon-Feeding Questions to Radio Hosts
The victim in the infamous Central Park case, however, survived the brutal assault. It appeared the campaign wanted to remove Biden's gaffe that he thought she had been killed.
Civic Media scolded the show for agreeing to the changes but said it "unequivocally stands by Earl Ingram and his team."
Biden Campaign Accused of Spoon-Feeding Questions to Radio Hosts
"Earl is an invaluable voice for Milwaukee and Wisconsin, and remains a crucial member of the Civic Media organization," the station said. "The decision to make the requested edits to the interview was made in good faith. While we disagree with the decision, we stand by our team. This has been a learning experience and we will do better moving forward."
Ingram, a Biden supporter, was one of two radio hosts last week that received suggested questions from the Biden campaign for the interviews. Another, Andrea Lawful-Sanders of WURD in Philadelphia, parted ways with her station after the revelation.
A Biden campaign spokesperson told Fox News Digital, "Hosts have always been free to ask the questions and air the segments they think will best inform their listeners."
Concerns have been raised about the confidence the Biden campaign has in the president's ability to navigate unscripted conversations, especially in light of the revelations that both hosts were given questions ahead of time.
In statements given to ABC News, Ingram confirmed that he was given five questions to ask Biden during their chat and wasn’t able to get through all of them before the interview ended.
Radio hosts and journalists are typically expected to maintain independence and objectivity in their interviews, and the revelation that the Biden campaign provided pre-approved questions has raised concerns about potential bias or undue influence.
The incident has also sparked discussions about the role of the media in holding public officials accountable and the importance of unbiased reporting.
