A Milwaukee radio station, Civic Media, disclosed that it edited a recorded interview with President Joe Biden at the request of his campaign.

The adjustments to the presidential interview were made to address remarks about Black Americans and the Central Park Five, with the station admitting, after scrutiny from outlets such as CNN, that these edits did not adhere to its journalistic standards, as the Post Millennial reports.

Edits Made After June 27 Debate

The interview, conducted by Earl Ingram, was edited after the June 27 presidential debate. Shortly after the interview recording, the Biden campaign requested specific edits before the interview aired. Civic Media subsequently altered the recording on the basis of this request.

The alterations included the removal of two segments from the interview. At time marker 5:20, a comment where Biden mentioned having more black individuals in his administration than any previous president was excised. Additionally, at 14:15, a reference to the death penalty as "hanging" in connection to the Central Park Five was also removed.

Station's Apology and Investigation

Civic Media acknowledged that these edits fell short of meeting listener expectations and its own journalistic standards. The station upheld its commitment to transparency by promising to post the unedited version of the interview on their website.

On July 8, Civic Media announced that its management had launched an investigation following the edits. This probe revealed that the production team at the time had deemed the edits as non-substantive and proceeded to broadcast the modified interview.

Maintaining Journalistic Integrity

In a statement, Civic Media emphasized the significance of maintaining journalistic integrity, especially during high-profile interviews. Station officials admitted to not meeting these expectations and highlighted the necessity of upholding these standards even in non-news programming.

"With a high-profile interview comes a listener expectation that journalistic interview standards will be applied, even for non-news programming. We did not meet those expectations," Civic Media stated. "Civic Media disagrees with the team’s judgments in the moment, both with respect to the handling of the interview questions and the decision to edit the interview audio."

This incident was labeled a "learning experience" by the station, which also expressed support for Earl Ingram. Following the event, Civic Media clarified its policies regarding interview standards to prevent similar occurrences in the future.

Impact on Other Journalists

The interview conducted by Earl Ingram involved pre-approved questions from the Biden campaign. Ingram confirmed this to ABC News, stating, "Yes, I was given some questions for Biden." This practice brought into focus the potential pitfalls of using predetermined questions during high-stakes interviews.

In a related incident, Andrea Lawful-Sanders, another host, faced repercussions for using pre-screened questions with Biden. Lawful-Sanders was dismissed from her position at Philadelphia's WURD due to this practice. The station stressed that utilizing pre-determined questions endangered trust and was not part of its official policy.

WURD's statement read, "Agreeing to a pre-determined set of questions jeopardizes that trust and is not a practice that WURD Radio engages in or endorses as a matter of practice or official policy."

Unedited Version to be Published

Civic Media’s handling of the interview drew concern from its audience, which expected transparency and adherence to journalistic ethics. As part of its commitment to these principles, the station decided to make the unedited interview available on their website for public scrutiny.

The station’s management stressed the necessity of upholding the highest journalistic standards, especially for interviews drawing significant public interest. Following an internal investigation, Civic Media concluded that the decisions made by the production team did not align with their ethical guidelines.

The revelation surrounding the edited interview underscores the importance of journalistic integrity and the potential consequences when it is compromised. Civic Media’s acknowledgment of the lapse and their subsequent actions aim to restore trust with their listeners.

Conclusion

To summarize the key events: Civic Media admitted to editing President Biden's interview following a request from his campaign.

The edits included the removal of comments regarding black Americans in his administration and a reference to the death penalty in connection with the Central Park Five.

The station vowed to post the unedited interview, acknowledged the failure in maintaining journalistic standards, and outlined steps to prevent future occurrences.

Additionally, this incident highlighted broader issues within the journalistic community regarding the use of pre-approved questions, with other radio personalities facing consequences for similar practices.