ABC News made changes to the transcript of President Biden’s interview after the White House and news outlets questioned the accuracy of his words. During the interview, when asked how he would feel if he lost to former President Trump, Biden initially said, “I did the goodest job as I know I can do.” The transcript was later revised to say, “I did the good as job as I know I can do.” This change was made after the White House and other news organizations raised concerns about the accuracy of the transcript.
Following the interview, the president’s re-election campaign requested that news outlets, including The New York Times, update their coverage to reflect the revised transcript. This incident highlights the scrutiny that every word spoken by President Biden faces, especially in unscripted settings like interviews.
After the discrepancy between the audio recordings and the ABC transcript was noticed by White House stenographers, a White House official raised the issue with ABC representatives. Despite the confusion over the exact wording used by President Biden, the network confirmed that they did not alter the audio or video of the interview.
The 22-minute interview, which aired on ABC and was watched by 8.5 million viewers, became the network’s most-watched prime-time news program since a previous interview conducted by George Stephanopoulos in 2018. This incident underscores the importance of accuracy in reporting, especially when it comes to high-profile interviews with political figures.
Michael D. Shear, a White House correspondent for The New York Times, has been covering President Biden and his administration for more than 30 years. Similarly, Michael M. Grynbaum, a media correspondent at The Times, focuses on the intersection of media, politics, and culture. Their expertise and experience provide valuable insights into the evolving landscape of political journalism.