ABC News is under scrutiny after quietly revising its report on a supposed Iranian drone threat directed at California, adding crucial information that was previously absent.
The initial story, published on a Wednesday, referenced a late-February alert about a potential Iranian initiative but failed to mention that the intelligence was labeled as “unverified.”
According to ABC News, the February alert suggested that Iran aimed to execute a surprise attack using drones from an undisclosed vessel off the U.S. coast, targeting unspecified locations in California should the U.S. strike Iran.
Following public backlash, the network issued an editor’s note acknowledging the missing context in the report.
It stated, “The FBI has released a more comprehensive version of its alert to California authorities, which specifies that the intelligence was unverified.” This update accompanied the publication of the revised article.
The change was prompted after FBI spokesman Ben Williamson shared a screenshot of the alert on X, emphasizing the omission of the word “unverified.” This disparity raised questions about the accuracy and reliability of the report.
The White House quickly responded, with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt calling for a retraction. She accused the network of inciting unnecessary panic.
Leavitt stated, “This story should be immediately retracted by ABC News for spreading false information to deliberately alarm the American public. The piece relied on a single email sent to local law enforcement in California concerning one, unverified tip,” she remarked.
She further highlighted that the email explicitly mentioned the tip was based on *unverified* intelligence. “Why was this critical fact left out? To be clear: There is no existent threat from Iran to our homeland, nor has there ever been,” she asserted.
California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, also sought to alleviate public anxiety by stating that his administration did not have any evidence of a credible threat at this time.
His office confirmed it was “not aware of any imminent threats currently.” This incident arises amidst ongoing tensions between the U.S. and Iran, with military hostilities having escalated following targeted strikes against Iran on February 28 after diplomatic negotiations failed.
