Wisconsin radio show agreed to let Biden campaign make changes to interview

Wisconsin radio show, which interviewed President Joe Biden after his lackluster debate performance, recently came under scrutiny for making edits to the interview before airing it. Sage Weil, the CEO of Civic Media, the radio network that hosts “The Earl Ingram Show,” revealed that the Biden campaign requested two edits to the interview before broadcasting it.

The interview, conducted by host Earl Ingram on July 3, was aired the following morning. However, on July 8, Civic Media management was informed that the Biden campaign had requested edits to be made to the recording right after it was recorded. The production team complied with the request, removing two short segments from the interview before broadcasting it.

In response to the controversy, Civic Media released the full unedited interview along with the edited version that omitted 16 seconds of content. One of the edits involved removing Biden’s statement about having more Black individuals in his administration than all previous presidents combined, holding major positions including cabinet roles.

These edits sparked debate about journalistic integrity and public scrutiny of political figures, particularly during this crucial election period. Ingram, the host, had previously revealed that Biden’s campaign had provided him with a list of questions to ask during the interview, leaving no room for spontaneous discussion.

While acknowledging that the handling of questions and edits did not meet the organization’s journalistic standards, Weil stated that Ingram would continue working at Civic Media. Despite disagreements with the decision to make edits, the company expressed support for its team and vowed to learn from the experience to improve in the future.

President Biden’s team had arranged for him to do interviews with local radio hosts Ingram and WURD Radio host Andrea Lawful-Sanders after his lackluster debate performance on June 27. However, Lawful-Sanders parted ways with WURD Radio when it was discovered that she had used questions submitted by Biden’s campaign, compromising the station’s independence.

Sara M. Lomax, the president and CEO of WURD Radio, emphasized that the station is not a mouthpiece for any political administration and values its autonomy. The incident involving both radio hosts raised concerns about the influence of political campaigns on media content and the credibility of journalism in serving the public interest.

Despite the controversy surrounding the edited interview, Civic Media, established in 2022 and headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin, remains committed to providing diverse and informative programming through its network of 20 radio stations across the state. The incident has highlighted the importance of maintaining journalistic integrity and transparency in media coverage, especially when engaging with high-profile political figures during pivotal moments like elections.