Journalist Katie Couric is speaking out about her decision to edit a 2016 interview with the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
During an appearance on “The View” Monday, co-host Sunny Hostin noted Couric asked Ginsburg about NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick taking a knee during the national anthem.
Reading a passage from Couric’s memoir, “Going There,” Hostin said, “Clearly this was a blind spot for Ginsburg and I wanted to protect her.”
Hostin argued Couric’s job as a journalist is to present the facts, not make someone else “look good.”
The journalist responded, “That’s why I included it because I said I even question my judgment today.”
She went on to explain “there was a two-minute answer where [Ginsburg] called Colin Kaepernick, and other NFL players who were taking a knee, ‘dumb’ and ‘disrespectful,’ ‘stupid’ and ‘arrogant.’ They had a right to do this and her office had called and said she misunderstood the question.”
Couric added, “She hadn’t really been following the story carefully…I wanted to represent her views so I did a two-minute response about about that. Then when there was that… ‘Is she confused about this?'”
Admitting she should have “left that to the audience to make that decision,” Couric continued, “[Ginsburg] later issued a statement saying she didn’t understand the incident or its purpose and that her comments were ‘overly harsh’ and ‘dismissive.'”
She argued it is “important as journalists that we be transparent and say, ‘that was probably not a good decision.'”
Watch Couric’s comments below:
.@katiecouric discusses why she revealed in her memoir that she omitted some of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s anthem-kneeling comments in an interview “to protect her”: “It’s important as journalists that we be transparent and say, ‘that was probably not a good decision.’” pic.twitter.com/gi9HgfdaME
— The View (@TheView) October 25, 2021
When asked about athletes kneeling for the national anthem, Ginsburg told Couric, “I think it’s really dumb of them.”
She explained, “Would I arrest them for doing it? No.”
Ginsburg said she thinks it is “dumb and disrespectful,” adding, “I would have the same answer if you asked me about flag burning. I think it’s a terrible thing to do, but I wouldn’t lock a person up for doing it. I would point out how ridiculous it seems to me to do such an act.”
She was then asked if it is within the athletes’ rights to kneel.
“Yes,” Ginsburg replied. “If they want to be stupid, there’s no law that should be preventive. If they want to be arrogant, there’s no law that prevents them from that. What I would do is strongly take issue with the point of view that they are expressing when they do that.”
Earlier last week, Couric admitted to omitting some of Ginsburg’s comments on the issue. Insider noted the full quote will be included in her forthcoming book.
The book will be released on Tuesday.