Katie Couric made her return to the Today show Tuesday — where she was grilled by the show’s current host about violating a “cardinal rule” of journalism.
During an interview in the show’s first hour on Tuesday, Savannah Guthrie pressed Couric — returning to Today, where she hosted for 15 years until leaving for CBS in 2006 — about a revelation from her new memoir which has opened Couric up to criticism. Couric disclosed, in the book, that she withheld part of an interview with Ruth Bader Ginsburg in which the late Justice scolded protesters who kneel during the national anthem.
“How did you justify that?” Guthrie asked Couric. “It violates a cardinal rule of journalism.”
“I think what people don’t realize is we make editorial decisions like that all the time,” Couric said. “And I chose to talk about this and put it in the book for a discussion.”
Couric went on to defend her decision by arguing that she’d included Ginsburg’s most important comments. Guthrie, though, was unmoved — noting that Couric wrote that she made that editorial call to “protect” the Justice.
“That’s not an occasion that you’re using that objectivity that is so important as journalists,” Guthrie said. “And the question is whether that undermines journalism at a time when reporters are under attack for bias like that. … Do you
“Yeah, ultimately, I think I should have included it,” Couric said. “But I think it’s really important to look at what I did include. She had to make a statement afterwards saying her comments were harsh and dismissive. I still believe I used the most critically important response. But I think you’re right, it might have illuminated it even more if I had included that other statement.”
Watch above, via NBC.