ABC News admitted to editing remarks by Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. after the news outlet pressed him on his stance on vaccines.
Journalist Linsey Davis gave a warning ahead of the interview, telling viewers that the Biden challenger peddled misinformation and disinformation about vaccines.
"RFK Jr. is one of the biggest voices pushing anti-vaccine rhetoric, regularly distributing misinformation and disinformation about vaccines, which scientific and medical experts overwhelmingly say are safe and effective based on rigorous scientific studies," she stated. "But can a Kennedy break through in 2024? Will RFK Jr.'s controversial stances limit his appeal?"
During the contentious 15-minute interview, Davis grilled the candidate on not just his vaccine beliefs, but also his willingness to take on President Biden as the Democratic nominee, his criticism of government agencies, and his appearances on conservative media shows.
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Afterward, the journalist acknowledged they edited Kennedy's remarks on vaccines.
"We should note that during our conversation, Kennedy made false claims about the Covid-19 vaccines," she said. "We’ve used our editorial judgment in not including extended portions of that exchange in our interview," Davis added.
ABC backed up their fact-check by listing medical and advocacy organizations which disagreed with Kennedy's statements on vaccines.
"Data shows that the Covid-19 vaccine has prevented millions of hospitalizations and deaths from the disease. He also made misleading claims about the relationship between vaccination and autism. Research shows that vaccines and the ingredients used in the vaccines do not cause autism, including multiple studies involving more than a million children and major medical associations like the American Academy of Pediatrics and the advocacy group Autism Speaks."
During the interview, Kennedy said he's been "vilified" for the past three years with "total blanket censorship" from the media.
He told ABC he was "at peace" with his choices because he was fighting very powerful voices that were trying to "silence" him.
"If you don't change my mind with facts, I'm going to stick to my guns," he said.
After Davis pressed him on his distrust of "scientific authorities" on vaccines, Kennedy argued science was always changing and that experts were divided on the issue. "No I don't trust authority. I need to see the detail. I need to see the science," he said as his comments were abruptly cut off.
