Katie Couric intentionally withheld the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s dislike for people who take a knee in protest of racial justice during the national anthem, according to reports from Ms. Couric’s new memoir out later this month.
The journalist admitted to trying to “protect” Ginsburg by editing out comments she made about the kneeling controversy during a 2016 interview that Ms. Couric, a former host of NBC’s “Today” show, was doing for Yahoo News.
In the article, Ginsburg is quoted saying that taking a knee is “dumb and disrespectful,” but her more fiery comments were omitted.
She also said the gesture showed a “contempt for a government that has made it possible for their parents and grandparents to live a decent life … which they probably could not have lived in the places they came from … as they became older they realize that this was youthful folly,” according to the Daily Mail, which first reported on Ms. Couric’s interview.
In her memoir, “Going There,” Ms. Couric admits to letting her personal views influence certain stories, pointing to the 2016 interview with Ginsburg.
The Daily Mail noted that Ms. Couric thought Ginsburg’s comments were “unworthy of a crusader for equality,” referring to the liberal icon’s record on the Supreme Court.
The journalist said she removed the late justice’s more detailed comments because Ginsburg was “elderly” — 83 at the time — and “probably didn’t fully understand the question.”
“Going There” will be released Oct. 26.
• Alex Swoyer can be reached at aswoyer@washingtontimes.com.
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