ZDF has apologized to viewers in the 'heute journal' for errors in a segment about US ICE operations. Deputy editor-in-chief Anne Gellinek described it as a 'double error' involving AI-generated images and incorrect archive footage. The broadcaster emphasized that AI content is not permissible in news reporting.
On Tuesday evening, ZDF apologized in the 'heute journal' for errors in a segment from the previous day about operations by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Host and deputy editor-in-chief Anne Gellinek called it a 'double error' and explicitly asked viewers for forgiveness.
The first error involved the use of images and videos generated by artificial intelligence (AI). According to the broadcaster, the deployment of such content in news reporting is not possible, except when the segment explicitly addresses AI fakes. In that case, labeling alone would not have sufficed. Previously, ZDF had admitted in a press release that the AI images should have been labeled, but this had not happened due to technical issues during the transfer of the segment.
The second error was a scene showing real footage from 2022 that came from a different context and did not depict the current ICE operation. Gellinek described these as 'craftsmanship errors,' which were particularly painful because the ZDF news team invests significant effort in verified information. 'That did not succeed this time,' she said. 'For that, I ask you, our viewers, as ZDF news chief, for explicit forgiveness. This segment did not meet our high standards.'
In the ZDF Mediathek, an altered version of the broadcast became available, where the AI images were replaced with other video sequences and stills. A note was overlaid on parts of the segment stating that the video had been changed for editorial reasons.
