Ed Morrissey:
The fallout continues on #GunGate — the exposure of a faked interview response in “Under the Gun,” first reported by our friend Stephen Gutkowski at the Free Beacon today. In a nutshell, the film substituted some B-roll of interview subjects waiting for the interview to start in place of a substantive response given to Katie Couric on background checks. The Free Beacon published the unedited audio that proved that the film faked the response, which should have prompted a retraction and apology — at the bare minimum.
As Allahpundit already noted in an update, however, the cable channel that aired the documentary (EPIX) doesn’t seem to care about accuracy or honesty. They call the substitution of the actual answer for an unrelated response shot “creative and editorial judgment.” Apparently, Couric also chalks this up to the “creative” urge. The Yahoo News anchor issued a statement in support of Stephanie Soechtig: “I support Stephanie’s statement and am very proud of the film.”
Soechtig eventually offered this non-apology of the “I’m sorry that my brilliance was misunderstood” variety:
“There are a wide range of views expressed in the film. My intention was to provide a pause for the viewer to have a moment to consider this important question before presenting the facts on Americans’ opinions on background checks. I never intended to make anyone look bad and I apologize if anyone felt that way.”
Washington Post media critic Erik Wemple begs to differ. There is no other explanation of substituting B-roll for the actual response than to make the interview subjects look bad, Wemple points out:
In the years we’ve covered and watched media organizations, we’ve scarcely seen a thinner, more weaselly excuse than the one in the block above. For starters, it appears to count as an admission that this segment of the documentary was edited. The artistic “pause” provides the viewer not a “moment to consider this important question”; it provides viewers a moment to lower their estimation of gun owners. That’s it. As far as the rest of the statement, adults in 2016 may no longer write the phrase “apologize if anyone felt that way” and preserve their standing as professionals.
He’s not impressed with Couric either:
To compound matters, here’s the accompanying statement from Couric:
“I support Stephanie’s statement and am very proud of the film.”
That, from the Katie Couric of Yahoo News, of “CBS Evening News,” of “60 Minutes,” of the “Today” show and so on.
Wemple predicts that these arrogant responses will pour gasoline on the #GunGate flames — and approves of the backlash to come:
Many of those who sampled the discrepancy between the video and the audiotape were already enraged by the depiction of these gun owners. The statements from Soechtig and Couric will surely intensify the backlash, as well they should. An apology, retraction, re-editing, whatever it is that filmmakers do to make amends — all of it needs to happen here.
It’s almost too late for that now. The excuses may well be weaselly, but the practice is even more so — and the arrogance in defending it makes it very clear that this has happened in the past, and will be likely to continue in the future, too.
Let’s see… who was it that claimed (falsely) that the Planned Parenthood videos were edited and, as such, a misrepresentation of the facts? Oh YEAH… the LEFT!! The exact same people editing this “documentary” to say what agrees with their ideology, edited the Zimmerman 911 tape and fabricated “evidence” Bush dodged military service to try and affect the 2004 Presidential election.
Is the left wing media corrupt? Almost as corrupt as those that defend it.
Katie Couric was fired from her last job because of fabricating interviews and materials. she is truly a liberal democratic whore.
Go to the 2 minute mark on this video to see that NBC, as MSNBC did this same thing in 2009 when the TEA Party was ascending:
Judicious cropping of that armed man at the TEA Party gathering was made to try to make the group look ”racist.”
Too bad the raw video wasn’t destroyed.
All those white TEA Party members were completely unafraid to be next to an armed BLACK male at their gathering.
And, Katie, which straw man is suggesting a complete doing away with all background checks?
Most states have them.