Terry Moran is leaving ABC News, just days after being suspended for posting a broadside at Trump official Stephen Millerand the Trump White House on the X social-media platform.
“We are at the end of our agreement with Terry Moran and based on his recent post — which was a clear violation of ABC News policies — we have made the decision to not renew,” ABC News said in a statemnt Tuesday. “At ABC News, we hold all of our reporters to the highest standards of objectivity, fairness and professionalism, and we remain committed to delivering straightforward, trusted journalism.”
Moran, who had been one of ABC News’ top national correspondents, on early Sunday went to X and wrote that Miller is “one of the people who conceptualizes the impulses of the Trumpist movement and translates them into policy,” and operates not on “brains” but on “bile.” He added that Miller was “a world-class hater. You can see this just by looking at him because you can see that his hatreds are his spiritual nourishment. He eats his hate.”
ABC News suspended him just hours later, after U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance and Miller himself criticized the journalist’s words.
The post, in which a veteran anchor veered into opinion rather than reportage or analysis of facts, is still seen as a breach of standards by many news organizations, despite the proliferation of opinion-led programs on cable networks such as MSNBC or Fox News Channel. Moran has been called in the past to report on politics, and secured a coveted interview with President Donald Trump in April that won plaudits. His commentary on Miller could be seen as undermining ABC News’ objectivity in coverage of White House matters.
The Disney-backed news unit has already tangled with Trump in recent months. Disney in December agreed to pay $15 million to settle a defamation lawsuit Trump filed against ABC News after anchoor George Stephanopoulos erroneously said Trump had been found guilty of rape in a civil sexual abuse judgement brought in a case by writer E. Jean Carroll. Carroll prevailed in the case, though Trump denied wrongdoing.
Many mainstream news outlets are scrutinizing their White House coverage in an era when Trump is eager to square off with them in the public arena. The Trump administration has managed to exclude the Associated Press from some news events and President Trump has ensnared Paramount Global in what many experts view as a meritless lawsuit over the way a “60 Minutes” interview with former U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris was edited. Paramount, which is in the midst of trying to be acquired by Skydance Media, has entered into negotiations with Trump over a potential settlement, undermining the CBS News program in the process.
Read the full article here
