Former ABC News correspondent Terry Moran acknowledged on Friday that ABC News exhibited liberal tendencies. He attributed this to a lack of diversity in political viewpoints within the newsroom. Moran, speaking with Michael C. Moynihan on ‘The Fifth Column’ podcast, confirmed the network’s liberal bias, noting that one of the challenges in covering President Donald Trump was the absence of Trump voters among the staff.
Moran attempted to introduce differing perspectives during his tenure by sending internal messages advocating for balanced coverage of Trump. ‘I sent out these ‘Hey, we should be fair to Trump’ internal emails,’ Moran shared. Some colleagues, including engineers and occasionally producers, responded positively.
A former ABC News staffer shared with Fox News Digital that Moran had conflicts with liberal colleagues and his social media post had left the network with few alternatives. “It’s just unfortunate,” the staffer commented on the situation. Moran claimed that the political leanings within the newsroom hindered the ability to hear voices from all political spectrums.
The network chose not to renew Moran’s contract following his controversial post. In the post, he described Trump and White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller as ‘world-class haters.’ ABC stated the post violated its objectivity and fairness policies, and the decision not to renew was in line with maintaining journalistic integrity.
An ABC spokesperson emphasized the importance of impartial reporting, stating, ‘At ABC News, we maintain the highest standards of objectivity, fairness, and professionalism.’
Moran’s departure was part of a broader context of public distrust in legacy media. ABC’s swift response to the issue aimed to prevent a drop in viewership. The decision followed a pattern of skepticism from viewers towards mainstream media coverage of Trump.
In a recent interview, Moran reiterated the difficulty in achieving true objectivity in journalism, while defending his professional integrity, asserting that the work he produced was ‘excruciatingly fair.’
Moran’s exit came shortly after conducting a challenging interview with Trump, where the President expressed distrust towards him and criticized the line of questioning.