NBC took some heat Tuesday when the Today Show opted to stick with an interview with Kardashian matriarch Kris Jenner rather than cut to the ceremony at Ground Zero to remember the victims of the Sept. 11 attacks. The network was the only major television outlet not to cover the moment of silence, but NBC defended its decision, pointing out to the New York Times that their editorial decision was consistent with their previous coverage of the anniversary and that no public apology was forthcoming.

Behind the scenes, however, the president of NBC News Steve Capus sent a memo to the network affiliates yesterday, apologizing for the fallout from the negative attention. According to the Times, it read:

“Yesterday, we made an editorial call resulting in the Sept. 11 moment of silence not being seen. While we dedicated a substantial amount of airtime to anniversary events, we still touched a nerve with many of your viewers … and for that we apologize.”

An NBC representative clarified to the Times that the memo should not be interpreted as an apology for the editorial decision to stick with Jenner over the moment of silence, but an acknowledgment that the affiliates had to weather such criticism as a result.

Watch the Today video from Tuesday below: READ FULL STORY »