Today we’ve got an interesting piece of news from the world of media and politics. A Milwaukee radio station, Civic Media, made waves when it agreed to edit an interview with President Joe Biden after he used the term “blacks.” This decision has sparked quite a bit of conversation, so let’s dive into what happened.
The incident took place during a radio interview that aired on July 4, hosted by Earl Ingram. According to Civic Media’s statement, Biden's campaign requested the removal of two short segments from the interview. Civic Media, which is a Wisconsin-based left-wing talk show network, decided to comply but also chose to be transparent about the edits.
In the interest of openness, Civic Media released the edited segments and made the full, unedited interview available. They emphasized the importance of transparency, especially given the current political climate and the stakes of the upcoming election. Their statement highlighted their commitment to public scrutiny of high-ranking officials.
Milwaukee radio station agreed to cut a portion of an interview w/ Biden where he said he has "more Blacks in my administration than any other president, all other presidents combined, and in major positions, cabinet positions." pic.twitter.com/k8fZXtUVb3
— bryan metzger (@metzgov) July 11, 2024
Now, what exactly was removed? The first segment was an 11-second clip where Biden talked about the diversity within his administration. He mentioned having more black appointees than any other president, including significant positions like the Vice President and a Supreme Court Justice.
The second segment, about five seconds long, was a bit more confusing. It involved Biden seemingly garbling his words while referencing former President Trump and the Central Park jogger case from 1989.
Civic Media acknowledged that they didn’t meet listener expectations for journalistic standards in this high-profile interview. They expressed disagreement with the decisions made during the interview and the subsequent editing. As a new media organization, they took this opportunity to clarify their internal policies to ensure all their personnel understand the expected standards for interviews.
Interestingly, this wasn’t the only recent controversy involving pre-interview preparations. Andrea Lawful-Sanders, another radio host who had received questions in advance from Biden’s campaign, was dropped by WURD after she disclosed this during a CNN appearance on July 6.
The White House has yet to respond to requests for comment on this situation.