The New York Post reported that PBS senior correspondent Judy Woodruff has apologized for falsely reporting that former President Donald Trump attempted to discourage Israel from entering a cease-fire agreement in Gaza.
The retraction came after Woodruff made the unfounded claim during a live broadcast from the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago on Monday, August 21, 2024.
During a PBS roundtable discussion at the DNC, Woodruff claimed that Trump had spoken with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, urging him not to agree to a cease-fire. She suggested that Trump's alleged interference was motivated by a desire to prevent the Harris campaign from benefiting from a successful peace deal. However, these assertions were quickly debunked, leading to widespread criticism of Woodruff's reporting.
On Wednesday, August 23, 2024, Woodruff took to social media platform X to address the controversy surrounding her earlier statements. In her post, she acknowledged her mistake and offered an explanation for the source of her misinformation.
Woodruff stated:
As I said, this was not based on my original reporting; I was referring to reports I had read, in Axios and Reuters, about former President Trump having spoken to the Israeli Prime Minister. In the live TV moment, I repeated the story because I hadn't seen any later reports that both sides had denied it. This was a mistake and I apologize for it.
The veteran journalist's admission highlighted the importance of verifying information before broadcasting it to a live audience, especially when covering sensitive international matters.
The Israeli government was quick to respond to Woodruff's false reporting. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office issued a statement to the Jerusalem Post, categorically denying the alleged conversation between Netanyahu and Trump. They described Woodruff's claims as a "complete lie," further underscoring the gravity of the misreporting.
The false narrative that Woodruff repeated on air can be traced back to an Axios article published on August 14, 2024. The report cited two unnamed sources who claimed that Trump and Netanyahu had discussed the Gaza hostage situation and potential cease-fire agreements. Reuters subsequently republished this story on their platform.
However, neither of these original reports alleged that Trump had urged Netanyahu to reject a cease-fire deal, as Woodruff had incorrectly stated during her live broadcast. This discrepancy between the original reporting and Woodruff's on-air claims further complicated the situation.
The day following the publication of the Axios story, Netanyahu's office released a statement denying that any such phone call between the prime minister and Trump had taken place. In response to this denial, both Axios and Reuters published updated articles reflecting the new information on August 15, 2024.
Despite these clarifications being available for several days, Woodruff still repeated the false information during her live broadcast on August 21, 2024. This lapse in updating her information before going on air led to the spreading of misinformation on a national platform.
While Israeli officials denied any conversation, former President Trump maintained that he did speak with Netanyahu. During a press conference, Trump claimed that he had encouraged the Israeli prime minister to bring the conflict to a swift conclusion, though he expressed criticism of the proposed cease-fire terms.
In conclusion, Judy Woodruff's false reporting and subsequent apology underscore the challenges of real-time news coverage in an era of rapidly changing information. The incident highlights the importance of thorough fact-checking and the potential consequences of relying on unverified sources, especially when discussing sensitive international matters. As the story continues to unfold, it serves as a reminder of the media's responsibility to provide accurate and timely information to the public.
