Another Radio Station Comes Clean, EXPOSES Biden Campaign

Journalists, already frustrated with the White House’s evasive responses to inquiries about Joe Biden’s health and mental acuity, are gearing up for another whirlwind end to the week. On Thursday, Civic Media, a progressive talk-radio network from Wisconsin, revealed that it had agreed to make two edits to an interview with Biden at his campaign’s request.

The interview, conducted by popular host Earl Ingram, came after Biden’s June 27 televised debate with former President Donald Trump, where the president exhibited lapses in coherence and lost his train of thought multiple times. Recorded on July 3 and aired on the Fourth of July, the media group admitted that acceding to these edits fell short of “journalistic interview standards.”

“On Monday, July 8th, it was reported to Civic Media management that immediately after the phone interview was recorded, the Biden campaign called and asked for two edits to the recording before it aired. Civic Media management immediately undertook an investigation and determined that the production team at the time viewed the edits as non-substantive and broadcast and published the interview with two short segments removed,” the station wrote in a statement. The group announced that it would publish the complete, unedited version of Biden’s interview online.

The station acknowledged making two specific edits to the original broadcast at the campaign’s request. The first, at the 5:20 mark, involved cutting the statement, “…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 second edit, at 14:15, removed Biden’s comments on Donald Trump’s past advocacy for the death penalty against the Central Park Five, specifically, “I don’t know if they even call for their hanging or not, but he–but they said […] convicted of murder.”

The statement continued, “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 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.”

“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.”

When questioned by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel about the rationale behind the edits and whether such requests are common for the campaign, a spokesperson for the Biden campaign stated, “Hosts have always been free to ask the questions and air the segments they think will best inform their listeners.”

Additionally, a source familiar with the Biden campaign’s booking operations revealed to the Journal Sentinel last weekend that the campaign would cease providing suggested questions. “While interview hosts have always had the freedom to ask whatever questions they want, moving forward, we will refrain from offering suggested questions,” the source claimed.

On Thursday evening, as he concludes a three-day NATO summit, Biden is set to face a critical moment in his bid for reelection during an unscripted news conference. Observers — ranging from allies to skeptics and adversaries — will be closely monitoring his ability to handle questions without faltering. They will be on the lookout for any signs of hesitation, such as losing his train of thought, stumbling over words, or displaying the vacant expression that was notably visible during his debate with Trump.

Biden’s performance at this event could either silence his detractors or fuel further demands for him to withdraw from the race.

(VOTE NOW: Is Biden Mentally Unfit To Serve As President?)