Speculation is mounting over which journalists US President Donald Trump may have been referring to after he criticized media coverage of a reported downed F-15 fighter jet over Iran during the White House press conference on Monday.
One such speculation has fueled the debate after a post by journalist Andrew Feinberg suggested that Trump’s remarks could be directed at reporters Peter Doocy, Tara Copp, and Alex Horton.
However, there has been no official confirmation naming specific journalists, and the claims remain speculative.
What did Trump say?
Trump criticized media coverage of the F-15 incident, accusing reporters of spreading premature information about the downing of a US fighter jet over Iran and the missing pilot.
Trump informed reporters at a White House press conference on Monday afternoon that his government was actively investigating the "leaker" who gave the media information about the missing F-15 pilot. He said that the news broadcast threatened the airman by giving Iran the information.
{{/usCountry}}Trump informed reporters at a White House press conference on Monday afternoon that his government was actively investigating the "leaker" who gave the media information about the missing F-15 pilot. He said that the news broadcast threatened the airman by giving Iran the information.
{{/usCountry}}Trump said, “They basically said that ‘we have one and there’s somebody missing.’ Well, they didn’t know there was somebody missing until this leaker gave the information.”
While the president did not name individuals directly, his comments were widely interpreted as targeting journalists who broke the story.
He said, “So whoever it was, we think we’ll be able to find it out because we’re going to go to the media company that released it, and we’re going to say, ‘national security, give it up or go to jail.”
Who are the reporters being discussed?
Trump's warning to the press has sparked a lot of internet discussion about who the reporters might be. According to Feinberg, three journalists from the mainstream US media were the first to report on the downed F-15 last week.
In his X post, he names:
1. Peter Doocy is a prominent White House reporter known for direct questioning of administrations.
2. Tara Copp covers defense and national security issues.
3. Alex Horton reports on the US military and foreign conflicts.
Other than the speculation made by Feinberg, the other most prominent name that is being discussed is Amit Segal.
According to the New York Post, Israel's Channel 12 was the media outlet that reported that the US had only saved one of two F-15 airmen, jeopardizing the mission to save the second.
According to the New York Post, Amit Segal, a Channel 12 reporter, and Barak Ravid, an Axios employee, were among the first to share the information on Telegram and X, respectively.
However, Segal told NYP that he is unsure about him being the first to report about the F-15 jet downing. He said, “I’m not sure I was the first. And anyway — I will protect my sources.”