After the 'Military Advocate General' blunder on air: Channel 14 responds

Following the online storm, Channel 14 has responded for the first time to the sharp criticism that arose after it published 'exclusive footage' on Sunday, in which a reporter is seen hurling tough questions at a woman presented as the Military Advocate General, Major General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi. Shortly after the broadcast, social media users pointed out that the woman in the video is not Tomer-Yerushalmi, but a passerby who resembles her.

Following the embarrassment, the channel's management published an unusual clarification statement attempting to explain the chain of coincidences that led to the reporter's mistake. Under the headline 'Regarding this evening's publication concerning the Military Advocate General - here are the facts', the channel listed four reasons for the confusion:

1. The woman was walking behind the building where Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi lives.

2. She was accompanied by a person who looks like Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi's husband.

3. The woman looks very much like Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi.

4. The woman answered to the name 'Yifat' and did not deny a connection to the questions asked about the affair in which Tomer-Yerushalmi is involved.

Despite the attempt at justification, the channel acknowledged that the facts on the ground could not be ignored. 'Despite all this, in light of the doubts that arose, the report was removed from the platforms where it was published, and we will conduct a re-examination,' the statement concluded.

In the footage, reporter Meir Shamtzov is seen approaching the subject and questioning her. Although the woman refused to answer, the channel chose to broadcast the recorded material anyway.