The August 25 PBS News Hour leaned hard into the story of two purported deaths of unvaccinated people from measles in Pennsylvania, going further than other networks by running a clip of Pennsylvania’s Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro politicizing the situation by criticizing Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
But now that the sad story, weaponized by Shapiro for partisan use, is taking on water, how would PBS update its reporting?
The segment, which led the “other news” portion of the program, lasted 58 seconds. The report in full:
PBS's Amna Nawaz pumped Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA) before his measles vax hit shattered: "He spoke with US Health Secretary [RFK] who has pushed to revise the nation's approach to vaccines. Shapiro says he was 'blunt' with him about the rhetoric coming from government officials." pic.twitter.com/tm76MpJNN9
— Clay Waters 🇮🇱 (@claywaters44) September 1, 2026
Co-anchor Amna Nawaz: We start the day's other headlines in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, where health officials say two people, both unvaccinated, have died from measles. No further details about the individuals were provided. They are the first measles-related deaths in the U.S. this year, which is on track to be the worst year for measles cases since 1991. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro today warned about the severity of the outbreak and the rise of misinformation regarding vaccines.
Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA): There's real-life consequences to scaring people and not relying on actual doctors and actual medical professionals to provide unbiased information to parents so that we can make reasonable decisions for our kids.
Nawaz: The governor added that he spoke with U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has pushed to revise the nation's approach to vaccines. Shapiro says he was -- quote -- "blunt" with him about the rhetoric coming from government officials.
But further scrutiny suggests at least one of those measles-related deaths, that of an infant too young to be vaccinated, was mischaracterized by the governor.
Benjamin Mazer was scathing at the liberal-leaning Atlantic magazine, in “Pennsylvania’s Public-Health Officials May Be Wrong About a Measles Death”: "...regardless of whether measles unequivocally led to either of the two deaths in Pennsylvania, officials have already emboldened vaccine skeptics and lent credibility to their doubts. The state Health Department seems to have withheld relevant information from its constituents—that is, that local investigators were not themselves attributing the infant’s death to measles—and then it politicized its announcement of the deaths by having Shapiro, who is currently running for reelection, play a prominent role in the press conference.”
FactCheck.org noted: “As a newborn, the child would not have been eligible yet for routine measles vaccination, which begins at 12 months of age. However, if the baby contracted measles in utero from the mother, it is highly likely that the mother was unvaccinated.”
For Gov. Shapiro to lump the tragic death of an infant, not even eligible to be vaccinated, with the unwashed “unvaxxed” held in contempt by the left, is irresponsible, playing to the same online mob so eager to mock the death of the unvaccinated during COVID.
Spurred by an announcement by the Centers for Disease Control, the News Hour updated its story on Tuesday evening, deep inside its "Other News" brief, but in a vague and unsatisfying manner (no description of the infant that died).
Co-anchor Geoff Bennett: The CDC says it's reviewing two recent deaths in Pennsylvania that were not included in the agency's latest national count of measles fatalities. The agency says the available information does not establish whether measles caused or contributed to the deaths or whether the individuals died from other causes while infected with the virus. Pennsylvania officials last week reported the deaths of two unvaccinated people with measles. Multiple news outlets report the CDC's new director, Dr. Erica Schwartz, ordered that the deaths not be added to the federal tally while the agency reviews the cases. It comes amid a growing dispute between Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro over how the state is characterizing deaths associated with its ongoing measles outbreak.
