NBC Quietly Scrubs Initial Detail On Brittney Griner

The article initially stated that the Kremlin gave the Biden administration “the choice” between freeing Griner or Whelan in exchange for Bout. The outlet quietly changed the paragraph to state that Griner was the only choice the Biden administration could choose from.

The story initially read, “A senior U.S. official told NBC News that the U.S. government had sought to have both Griner and Whelan released as part of a swap with the Kremlin, which wanted the return of Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer who has served 11 years of a 25-year sentence in the U.S. But the official said Russia has treated Whelan differently because he is an accused spy, and that the Kremlin gave the White House the choice of either Griner or Whelan — or none.”

The paragraph was changed to read, “the Kremlin ultimately gave the White House the choice of Griner or no one after different options were proposed.”