Former ABC News correspondent Terry Moran acknowledged last week that his longtime employer was biased against President Donald Trump due to a lack of viewpoint diversity in the newsroom. Moran, who spent nearly 28 years at the network, was dismissed in June 2025 following social media posts attacking Trump and White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Stephen Miller.
Writing on his Substack publication on Tuesday, July 30, 2025, Moran addressed questions about bias in legacy media organizations. He indicated that ABC News suffered from the same problem affecting many leading cultural institutions in America – an absence of diverse political viewpoints among staff members.
Moran explained that while ABC News had successfully diversified in many ways since he joined the network, it failed to achieve political diversity. He noted that there were hardly any people who supported Trump working at ABC News, describing this as an open secret within the organization.
The former correspondent suggested this lack of political diversity inevitably impacted news coverage, though not necessarily through malevolent bias. Instead, he characterized it as a form of deafness, where the old news divisions failed to hear many voices from across the country because those voices were not represented in the newsroom.
Moran compared traditional news teams’ approach to covering Trump rallies to an anthropological exercise, suggesting reporters would approach attendees with microphones and cameras but produce inaccurate coverage. “To me that often comes off as weirdly anthropological and inaccurate, kind of like trying to understand nature by visiting a zoo,” he stated.
The veteran journalist revealed that despite his eventual termination over anti-Trump posts, he had actually served as a devil’s advocate within ABC News. He described having a reputation among colleagues for trying to help them understand different perspectives and acknowledge the democratic forces that made Trump a dominant political figure.
Moran’s departure from ABC News stemmed from social media posts he made on Sunday, June 8, 2025, targeting Miller and Trump. In the now-deleted posts, he described Miller as being richly endowed with the capacity for hatred and called both Miller and Trump world-class haters. He suggested that Miller’s hatred served as his spiritual nourishment.
The White House responded swiftly to Moran’s posts, with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt calling the remarks unhinged and unacceptable. The administration reached out to ABC News requesting information about how they planned to hold Moran accountable for his statements.
ABC News initially suspended Moran pending further evaluation, stating that his post violated network standards and did not reflect the views of the organization. The network emphasized its commitment to objectivity and impartiality in news coverage, noting it does not condone subjective personal attacks on others.
Two days after the suspension, ABC News announced it would not renew Moran’s contract. The decision came just six weeks after Moran had conducted a high-profile interview with Trump as part of a major primetime special marking the president’s first 100 days back in office.
In subsequent interviews, Moran maintained he did not regret his social media posts, telling The New York Times that people should never regret telling the truth. He clarified that he was not intoxicated when he made the posts, explaining that he had been thinking about the content throughout the day before deciding to publish his thoughts.
Following his departure from ABC News, Moran launched a Substack publication titled “Real Patriotism with Terry Moran.” He announced plans to continue reporting and interviewing while building a direct relationship with subscribers, joining other former television journalists who have turned to independent platforms.
Moran disputed ABC News’ characterization of his contract situation, claiming an oral agreement had been reached for a three-year extension. His attorneys were reportedly negotiating exit and severance terms at the time of his Substack launch.
The controversy surrounding Moran’s dismissal occurred amid broader discussions about bias in mainstream media organizations. His admission about ABC News’ lack of viewpoint diversity adds to ongoing debates about political representation in newsrooms across major television networks and legacy media outlets.
