It has been reported that USA Today recently altered a headline regarding Donald Trump’s stance on abortion after the Biden-Harris campaign raised objections. The campaign called the original headline “egregiously false.”
The controversy arose following Trump’s announcement of his position on whether abortion should be banned.
During the announcement, Trump expressed his support for in vitro fertilization (IVF) and emphasized his belief that states should have the authority to determine their abortion laws, as long as exceptions are made for cases of rape, incest, and the life of the mother.
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On Monday, members of the Biden-Harris campaign team, including campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez, deputy communications director Brooke Goren, and pro-abortion advocate Kaitlyn Kash, held a press call to discuss the media’s coverage of Trump’s abortion stance.
During the call, they criticized the media for their portrayal of Trump’s position. They specifically pointed out one headline that they deemed “egregiously false,” which stated that Trump “opposes a national abortion ban and will leave it up to the will of the people.”
USA Today initially covered the news with a headline that read, “‘The Will of the People’: Trump Opposes National Abortion Ban; Says States Should Decide.” However, Mediaite captured an image of the original headline and reported that it was later replaced with a new version.
The updated headline stated, “Donald Trump Says States Should Decide Abortion Policy, Avoids Talk of a National Ban.”
Notably, there was no editor’s note explaining the change. According to USA Today, the story was “updated” approximately seven hours after its initial publication, but no specific reason was given for the change.
Despite the headline alteration, the updated story still included Trump’s statement that “at the end of the day, this is all about the will of the people” regarding abortion restrictions.
In response to the controversy, USA Today issued a statement stating that headline updates are common for breaking news. They emphasized their commitment to reporting accurate facts and explained that headline updates are part of their routine editorial process.
The statement also mentioned that the headline change was made to more precisely reflect the story.
