Katie Couric Apologizes For ‘Misleading’ Edits in Gun Contol Documentary

Katie Couric released a statement Monday night in which she apologized for misrepresenting pro-gun voices in her gun control documentary Under the Gun.

The statement comes days after it was determined that an eight-second pause had been inserted into the film that made members of the Virginia Citizens Defense League (VCDL) appear to be unsure or stumped by one of Couric’s gun control questions. In reality, the VCDL members not only answered Couric’s question immediately, but actually rebutted it.

“As executive producer of Under the Gun, a documentary film that explores the epidemic of gun violence, I take responsibility for a decision that misrepresented an exchange I had with members of the Virginia Citizens Defense League (VCDL),” Couric wrote in a statement on the film’s website. “My question to the VCDL regarding the ability of convicted felons and those on the terror watch list to legally obtain a gun, was followed by an extended pause, making the participants appear to be speechless.”

Couric continued:

When I screened an early version of the film with the director, Stephanie Soechtig, I questioned her and the editor about the pause and was told that a ‘beat’ was added for, as she described it, “dramatic effect,” to give the audience a moment to consider the question. When VCDL members recently pointed out that they had in fact immediately answered this question, I went back and reviewed it and agree that those eight seconds do not accurately represent their response….I regret that those eight seconds were misleading and that I did not raise my initial concerns more vigorously.

The criticism of Couric’s seemingly blatant distortion of what really happened has come from all corners, including NPR, which made clear that it never would have inserted the pause in the film because its journalistic standards are higher than those of Couric.

Just days prior to the release of Under the Gun, Couric made an appearance on NBC’s Today to promote the film, where she claimed that a “silent majority” of gun owners actually want more gun control.

AWR Hawkins is the Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.