# If you'd like to omit non-matching lines from the result; add ';d' to the end of the expression.
sed -E 's/<\\/?(?!i>)\w+.*?>//g;t' <<< "<span> </span><span class=\"citation_text\" id=\"_148511159\">Rawls, Wilson.
<i>Where the Red Fern Grows: The Story of Two Dogs and a Boy</i>. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1961. Print.</span>"
Please keep in mind that these code samples are automatically generated and are not guaranteed to work. If you find any syntax errors, feel free to submit a bug report. For a full regex reference for SED, please visit: https://www.gnu.org/software/sed/manual/html_node/The-_0022s_0022-Command.html