MLK's infamous criticism of Malcolm X as a 'fiery, demagogic oratory' was made up, author finds
- Martin Luther King Jr's infamous description of Malcolm X may have been fabricated, a biographer says.
- Jonathan Eig found a copy of the original interview transcript, the Washington Post reported.
Martin Luther King Jr's famous criticism that Malcolm X was a "fiery, demagogic oratory" may have been fabricated, according to a biographer.
Jonathan Eig, a journalist writing a biography of King, was doing research for the project in Duke University's archives when he found the original transcript of the interview where King gave the quote, the Washington Post reported.
Eig gave the paper a copy of the transcript that shows the section of the interview — published in Playboy by journalist Alex Haley in 1965 — appears to have portions that are fabricated or taken out of context.
Eig told the paper that he shared his findings with several other King historians, who said the differences "jumped out" as "a real fraud."
"They're like 'oh my god, I've been teaching that to my student for years, and now I have to rethink it,'" Eig told the Post.
It is typical journalistic practice to negotiate with sources who say that their quotes have been misquoted or taken out of context, so it's possible King may have made additions to Haley after the interview. Changing small words or phrases in quotes such as "um" or "like" for clarity is also normal, but standards from the Society of Professional Journalists say that direct quotes should never be changed significantly.
Eig said on Twitter that it's also possible King never complained about being misquoted because he rarely complained about press coverage and "probably didn't read the whole interview."
King is quoted in the Playboy interview saying that Malcolm X, "has done himself and our people a great disservice," a phrase that doesn't appear in the transcript, according to the Post.
King is also quoted saying that Malcolm X is a "fiery, demagogic oratory in the black ghettos, urging Negroes to arm themselves and prepare to engage in violence." King does say this in the transcript, but he says it as part of a lengthy, general description after Haley asks him his "opinion of Negro extremists who advocate armed violence and sabotage," the paper reported.
Eig called the manipulation of King's quotes "journalistic malpractice" and that Malcolm and King "believed that you had to take radical steps to change America."
Eig said all of Haley's work should now be under heavy scrutiny, including his autobiography of Malcolm X put together through interviews between 1963 and 1965. Haley died in 1992.
The King Center, the Malcolm X Memorial Foundation, and Playboy didn't immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment on Wednesday.