Still, against the backdrop of historical inaccuracies in the American government’s official presentation of the facts after high-profile counterterrorism operations in which civilians were killed, or during the period of information warfare that can precede a shooting war, many reporters tend to be loath to simply accept the government’s word.

At a White House briefing on Friday, a reporter raised Ms. Psaki’s and Mr. Price’s comments and asked Ms. Psaki whether she truly believed that journalists were repeating Russian and Islamic State propaganda in seeking evidence for claims by the American government.

Ms. Psaki replied that she and the administration welcomed “tough questions and good-faith scrutiny” and that they “respect and value the role of the press.” She added that on Thursday, she had gone on to note — in comments omitted from some clips of the exchange that circulated afterward — that the Pentagon was still analyzing a strike that had unfolded less than 24 hours earlier and would “provide every detail they can.”