Time Magazine Editor Defends Inaccurate Cover: Photo Is ‘Iconic,’ Little Girl Is the ‘Face’ of the Crisis

RUSH EXCERPT:

STELTER: "So, some families were being split up, but according to the government and the child’s father, this particular mother and child were not separated. Joining me now in an exclusive interview about the backlash to the cover is Time Magazine’s editor in chief Edward Felsenthal. Thank you for being here."
FELSENTHAL: "Sure."
STELTER: "As soon as it was revealed through an interview with the child’s father that the family had not been separated there was a strong right-wing backlash to your cover, including from the Trump Administration. Did you make a mistake by having this crying girl on the cover?"
FELSENTHAL: "Look, I think John Moore’s photo was and will remain an iconic one. We chose the photo because this little girl became the face of this story on front pages and home pages and TV screens and Facebook feeds —"
STELTER: "But maybe she shouldn’t have been the face of this story if she wasn’t separated from her mom."
FELSENTHAL: "Well, as John just said and has said all along, none of us in the media who used the photo knew what had happened to the girl after this precise moment. And I think part of the power of the image is that unknown. This was a girl facing — who’s coming to America, has just completed one terrifying journey, and whatever its contours, whatever happens to her faces another very frightening journey as well."