A progressive radio network in Wisconsin, Civic Media, has admitted to editing an interview with President Biden at the request of his campaign,  acknowledging that doing so was violating “journalistic interview standards.” The interview, conducted by host Earl Ingram on July 3, was aired the next day with two brief portions excised, including a segment where Biden made an incorrect remark about the “Central Park Five” case.

The network released a statement on Thursday revealing that the Biden campaign had called and asked for two edits to the recording before it aired. The production team viewed the edits as “non-substantive” and broadcast the interview with the two short segments removed. However, the station has since posted the edited segments and the full, unedited interview.

Civic Media acknowledged that the decision to make the edits was a mistake, stating, “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.” The station has expressed support for Ingram, a Biden supporter, and his team, calling the decision a “learning experience” and promising to “do better moving forward.”

The edited segments included a remark by Biden about having more black people in his administration than any other president, as well as a comment about the “Central Park Five” case, where he incorrectly stated that the victim had been killed. The campaign likely requested the edit to remove Biden’s gaffe.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)