Time Magazine issued a correction to their most recent cover story on Friday, revealing that Yanela Hernandez, who became world famous over a tearful image of her being separated from her family, was, in fact never separated at all. “The original version of this story misstated what happened to the girl in the photo after she taken from the scene,” read the correction at the bottom of their cover story.
“The girl was not carried away screaming by U.S. Border Patrol agents; her mother picked her up and the two were taken away together.”
While there is no doubt the family separation policy at the border did take place, the revelation that Hernandez herself was not separated is a high-profile mistake for the iconic magazine.
Also Read:End of an Era: Inside Pixar on the Eve of John Lasseter's Departure The magazine did, however, stand by the broader thrust of the piece.
“The June 12 photograph of the 2-year-old Honduran girl became the most visible symbol of the ongoing immigration debate in America for a reason,” said the magazine’s editor-in-chief Edward Felsenthal. “Under the policy enforced by the administration, prior to its reversal this week, those who crossed the border illegally were criminally prosecuted, which in turn resulted in the separation of children and parents. Our cover and our reporting capture the stakes of this moment.”
Time’s cover story was released in the wake of a national furor over the Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” policy of separating children from their families at the Mexican border. Although Trump caved to political pressure and announced an executive order ending the policy on Wednesday, it is not yet clear how the administration will reunite the thousands of families that have already been separated.
Time did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.
