On Monday night, CNN aired Fight for the White House: Joe Biden’s Long Journey, a special program on the Democratic nominee’s career that included a popular photograph of Biden and one of his sons at what looks like a sports stadium (it’s not clear whether the son pictured is Hunter or Beau, who died in 2015). In the original photograph, which Biden himself posted on social media earlier this year, the kid pictured is wearing a maroon hat with the logo of the Washington football team which, until recently, used the Native American slur “Redskins” for its name. In the image that CNN includes in its documentary, the team logo has been entirely removed.
Photograph via Joe Biden on Facebook.
Screenshot via CNN.Fox News first reported on the edited image yesterday, attributing the blame to the news network—but CNN says it did not tamper with the photograph. “As with any biographical documentary, we ask the subject for photos and videos,” a CNN source tells Washingtonian via email. “We received this picture and many others from the Biden campaign, and any additional inquiries should be sent their way. Future airings will include the original photo.”
Reached by Washingtonian, a Biden campaign spokesperson said that the campaign removed the logo for copyright reasons, which it says is common for campaigns to do.
This story has been updated to include comment from the Biden campaign.
Rosa is a senior editor at Bitch Magazine. She’s written for Washingtonian and Smithsonian magazine.
