Terry Moran Advocates for Value-Based Journalism
Former ABC News correspondent Terry Moran participated in a discussion with Steve Schmidt, co-founder of the Lincoln Project, where he emphasized that journalists should incorporate “values” into their reporting. Moran was let go by ABC News in June, along with White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, after making controversial comments on social media, which have since been deleted. Schmidt praised Moran during their conversation, arguing that incorporating value judgments is crucial in journalism.
Moran stated, “We must use a language of value when covering the world, because the world is made up of it. It is good and wrong, love and hate.” He contended that journalists who fail to recognize these values are simply collecting paychecks and not effectively engaging in their work.
After his dismissal, Moran expressed that journalists are not required to maintain absolute fairness in their reporting. “My own feelings are that you don’t sacrifice your citizenship as a journalist. Your job isn’t unobjective,” he remarked.
An ABC spokesperson later informed CNN that Moran’s remarks directly contradicted the company’s policies, which stress the importance of objectivity, fairness, and professionalism in reporting. Miller criticized corporate media, suggesting that Moran revealed the extremist nature of some journalists, claiming, “Terry took off his mask.”
Moran also acknowledged on July 29 that he believes ABC News shows bias, admitting that “we were biased? Yes. Almost careless, I say.” He pointed out that the network, like many others, suffers from a lack of diverse perspectives, stating, “That’s no secret.” He noted that support for Donald Trump within ABC News is limited and suggested this influences coverage but not out of deliberate malice.
Additionally, ABC News faced criticism when it paid $15 million to settle a defamation lawsuit from Trump over comments made by George Stephanopoulos. During the only debate of the upcoming presidential election, moderators Lincy Davis and David Muir received backlash for challenging Trump more frequently than former Vice President Kamala Harris, despite her several misstatements during the debate.
