Katie Couric takes ‘responsibility’ for deceptive editing in gun documentary

Katie Couric issued a statement on Tuesday taking responsibility for a “misleading” scene in a documentary she produced on gun violence, in which gun rights activists appeared to struggle to answer a question posed by the veteran TV journalist.

{mosads}In a statement on a website for the film “Under the Gun,” Couric said, “I take responsibility for a decision that misrepresented an exchange I had with members of the Virginia Citizens Defense League (VCDL). 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.”

Last week, the group released audio of the interview to the Washington Free Beacon that showed that one member immediately responded to the question by saying, “Well, if you’re not in jail, you should still have your basic rights.”

“If you’re a felon and you’ve done your time you should have your rights,” he adds, before another member follows up with a point about laws restricting firearms sales to minors, illegal immigrants and convicted felons.

In her statement on Tuesday, Couric agreed with the issues the VCDL raised.

“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,” she said.

In her statement, Couric also posted a transcript of the conversation, showing that the gun rights activists indeed had an immediate response to Couric’s question.

The film’s director, Stephanie Soechtig, told The Washington Post that the scene was meant 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,” she added.

Epix told Fox News on Tuesday that the network was no longer showing the film due to its distribution arrangement, and not because of the controversy over the scene.