Katie Couric is upset that an eight-second pause inserted into an interview she did with gun rights activists in the documentary “Under the Gun” has drawn criticism, calling the edit an “unnecessary mistake,” according to an individual with knowledge of her thinking.
The individual spoke to TheWrap and said that director Stephanie Soechtig inserted the pause, which critics are calling an example of “deceptive” and “appalling journalism.”
“This was an unnecessary mistake,” the individual told TheWrap. “It did not represent editing someone’s sentences, there was no factual error, this is not a mistake that is a substantive mistake. It could have been avoided,” he said, adding: “This was a poor decision that was made and it involves silence.”
Soechtig also spoke to TheWrap and stood by the editing choice.
“I would never misrepresent someone’s point of view and I don’t think I did by doing this,” she said. “I don’t think I misrepresented gun owners or the people featured in the film.”
In an official statement, Soechtig said, “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.”
The documentary features members of the Virginia Citizens Defense League taking part in a roundtable, during which the clip appears to capture eight seconds of silence after Couric asks, “If there are no background checks for gun purchasers, how do you prevent felons or terrorists from purchasing a gun?”
VCDL president Philip Van Cleave told the Washington Free Beacon that Couric “intentionally removed their answers and spliced in nine seconds of some prior video of our members sitting quietly and not responding. Viewers are left with the misunderstanding that the members had no answer to her question.”
According to the Beacon, audio of the roundtable confirms Van Cleave’s assertion, and reveals that members immediately answered a similar question.
Others are outraged by the way the activists are portrayed overall in the documentary.
“Katie Couric should be ashamed of herself for her dishonest and distorted reporting on this issue,” Culture of Alarmism Director Julie Gunlock said in an official statement.