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** OPINION
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** Terry Moran is out at ABC News. His tweet did what critics of the media wanted.
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ABC News’ Terry Moran, shown here in 2007. (AP Photo/Nick Ut)

In a decision that will be celebrated by conservatives and condemned by others, ABC News has decided to part ways with senior national correspondent Terry Moran.

If you’re just catching up to the controversy, Moran was suspended ([link removed]) by the network after posting a now-deleted tweet last weekend that called President Donald Trump and Trump adviser Stephen Miller “world-class haters.” The post was mostly about Miller, with Moran writing, “Miller is a man who is richly endowed with the capacity for hatred. He’s 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.”

The post was roundly criticized by the White House, including press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who called for ABC News to punish Moran. Miller and others used the post to accuse Moran, ABC News and, in turn, all media of being biased against the right.

But many sided with Moran, saying he was merely offering an assessment of someone he covers. By punishing Moran, they said, not only was ABC News suppressing Moran’s free expression, but the network would be capitulating to Trump.

ABC News put out a statement that directly tied Moran’s tweet to its decision not to renew his contract. It said, “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 decided to not renew. 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, a former “Nightline” anchor, had been at ABC News for 28 years, but there were multiple reports that his contract was set to expire on Friday. Before this incident, he was last in the news for his April interview with Trump, in which Trump told him, “Terry, they’re giving you the big break of a lifetime. You know, you are doing the interview. I picked you because, frankly, I never heard of you, but that’s OK.”

Moran’s interview with Trump did not produce any fireworks or controversy.

Earlier on Tuesday, before news broke that ABC News would not renew Moran’s contract, veteran media columnist Margaret Sullivan, who teaches journalism ethics at Columbia University, weighed in on the matter in her “American Crisis” ([link removed]) Substack.

Sullivan wrote, “I’m amazed that Moran posted what he did. It’s well outside the bounds of what straight-news reporters do. It’s more than just calling a lie a lie, or identifying a statement as racist — all of which I think is necessary. Moran is not a pundit or a columnist or any other kind of opinion journalist. It’s hard to imagine a news reporter — say, David Sanger of the New York Times, or Carol Leonnig of the Washington Post, going that far. They may write an analysis piece that isn’t ‘just the facts’ of hard-news reporting, but that’s about it.”

At the time of his suspension, I had written, “Whether or not you feel as if what Moran wrote was true, and whether or not you believe Moran has the right to express his thoughts, his post will undoubtedly be used by the right to accuse, once again, the media of bias.”

I added, “Should Moran have posted it? Or maybe a better question is: Was it worth it? Let’s put it this way: In the end, this tweet did some damage. Moran’s late-night post will be a headache for ABC News. That pain will be felt by other media, too. That is a fact, even if you agree with everything Moran did and said.”

But was it a fireable offense? I kind of thought Moran would not be fired, but perhaps moved to another role at ABC News in which he would not directly cover the current administration.

For her part, and again this was before Moran was let go, Sullivan wrote, “I would hate to see Moran — with his worthy career at ABC News, where he’s been for almost 30 years — lose his job over this. I hope that the honchos at ABC let a brief suspension serve its purpose, and put him back to work.”

Meanwhile, I traded emails with another former journalist who told me that, in a group chat with other journalists, they settled on this general point: that maybe what Moran posted was true, but by sending his tweet, he played directly into the hands of those on the right who are trying to undermine trust in the media and, in many ways, damage our democracy.

A MESSAGE FROM POYNTER
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** Washington, D.C. Event: Poynter’s 50th Anniversary Exhibit
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Celebrate Civic Season with Poynter from June 25 to July 2 with “Moments of Truth: An Exploration of Journalism’s Past, Present, and Future.” This free exhibit anchors a week of media literacy programs across the city and concludes with a July 2 Community Conversation with Chris Wallace, Tia Mitchell and Lori Montenegro on press freedom and the future of journalism at the Martin Luther King Memorial Library.

Register for the events ([link removed]) .


** Watch your language
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Los Angeles police department personnel fire less-lethal rounds at protesters on Monday in downtown Los Angeles. (AP Photo Jae Hong)

In Tuesday’s newsletter ([link removed]) , I wrote about how journalists have come under attack while covering the protests in Los Angeles. I wrote about how several, including an Australian TV reporter, were hit by law enforcement using “nonlethal” bullets.

But as one Poynter Report reader pointed out, is there such a thing as “nonlethal?” Any weapon can be deadly if a person is hit in just the right spot.

It feels like the phrase “nonlethal” is used by authorities to soften the weaponry. And while such weapons — rubber bullets, Tasers, pepper spray, tear gas — are meant to subdue individuals without causing death, they still can be dangerous and even deadly.

In some of the reporting that I’ve seen on the protests, it should be noted that The Washington Post, for example, doesn't use the word “nonlethal,” but instead uses the more proper term “less-lethal.”

In 2020, following the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police and subsequent protests, the Post published “A guide to the less-lethal weapons that law enforcement uses against protesters.” ([link removed])

On Tuesday, the Post’s Daniel Wu wrote ([link removed]) , “Authorities in Los Angeles have used less-lethal weapons to disperse protesters. The weapons, which include tear gas, rubber bullets and balls of pepper spray, are part of most police departments’ options to respond to crowds without using lethal force. They can, however, lead to serious injury or death.”

Wu added, “The Los Angeles Police Department warned that its less-lethal munitions ‘may cause pain and discomfort’ when it declared unlawful assemblies over the weekend.”

Meanwhile, Post media reporters Scott Nover and Jeremy Barr reported ([link removed]) on the continued attacks on journalists — not from protesters, but from law enforcement. CalMatters journalist Sergio Olmos told Nover and Barr that he has covered hundreds of protests in the past and has been hit many times by less-lethal rounds. Then he said he has never seen police so trigger-happy to use such force as he has this week in Los Angeles.

He told the Post, “It was the most amount of less-lethals I’ve seen used in a single day protest.”

Nover and Barr wrote, “Olmos isn’t alone. Estimates vary on how many journalists have been injured by police projectiles since the protests began — the Committee to Protect Journalists put the number at ‘more than 20,’ while another press freedom group, Reporters Without Borders, estimated at least 27. Social media platforms have become inundated with first-hand accounts of graphic injuries from less-lethal munitions.”

That story was published Tuesday, so it’s possible those numbers are even higher now.

It’s not clear which agency has been using the less-lethal force. Among the agencies working the protests are the Los Angeles Police Department, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the California Highway Patrol, as well as the National Guard and, as of Tuesday, 700 Marines.

For more on less-lethal weapons, check out what the journalism studio Long Lead and contributor Lauren Rodriguez McRobbie did with their 2023 series: “The People vs. Rubber Bullets.” ([link removed])

Also, be sure to check out The Associated Press’ David Bauder with “With reporters shot and roughed up, advocates question whether those covering protests are targets.” ([link removed])


** Speaking out
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National Press Club president Mike Balsamo put out a statement ([link removed]) Tuesday condemning attacks on the press covering the protests in LA.

Balsamo wrote, in part, “When police target journalists, they are targeting the public’s right to know. With protests continuing in Los Angeles, police must ensure that reporters can safely do their jobs — not obstruct them or place them in harm’s way. The public depends on their reporting to understand what is happening on the ground.”

Balsamo asked for three things:
* Stop targeting, detaining, or obstructing journalists.
* Guarantee that journalists can safely observe and report on public demonstrations.
* Investigate these incidents and hold those responsible accountable.

Balsamo went on to write, “Los Angeles officials must act now. The world is watching.”


** Dr. What?
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As I also mentioned in Tuesday’s newsletter, CNN’s Brian Stelter reported ([link removed]) that Dr. Phil McGraw — best known simply as Dr. Phil — was involved in the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids that have led to the protests in LA.

The Los Angeles Times’ Mary McNamara wrote ([link removed]) , “But nothing said ‘this is a made-for-TV event brought to you by the same reality-star-led administration that proposed making legal immigration into a television competition’ as the presence of Phil McGraw. Who, after being embedded with ICE officials during raids in Chicago earlier this year, spent some of this weekend kicking it with (border czar Tom) Homan in L.A.’s Homeland Security headquarters.”

A spokesman for McGraw says that, unlike Chicago, McGraw wasn’t embedded with ICE during the raids in LA. He was only with Homan. But still.

McNamara wrote, “Dr. Phil is, for the record, neither a journalist nor an immigration or domestic policy expert. He isn’t even a psychologist anymore, having let his license to practice (which he never held in California) lapse years ago. He is instead a television personality and outspoken Trump supporter who was on hand to … I honestly don’t know what. Provide psychological support to Homan as he threatened to arrest elected officials for allowing citizens to exercise their constitutionally guaranteed right to free speech while using local law enforcement to prevent any violence or destruction of property that might occur? Offer Homan another platform on which he could explain why Trump is breaking his own vow to target only those undocumented immigrants who have committed violent crime?”

“Or maybe,” McNamara continued, “just provide a familiar face to help normalize rounding up people from their workplaces and off the street and sending in the National Guard when this doesn’t appear to be happening smoothly enough.”


** Protest coverage
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Things are constantly changing with the LA protests, but here is some of the noteworthy coverage to check out:
* The Los Angeles Times’ Matthew Ormseth and James Queally with “Protesters or agitators: Who is driving chaos at L.A. immigration protests?” ([link removed])
* The Los Angeles Times’ Libor Jany, James Queally and Connor Sheets with “How L.A. law enforcement got pulled into the fight over Trump’s immigration crackdown.” ([link removed])
* PolitiFact’s Gabrielle Lazor and Amy Sherman with “LA protests: What US law says about Trump’s deployment of CA National Guard, U.S. Marines.” ([link removed])
* Barbara F. Walter — a professor of political science at the University of California, San Diego — wrote a guest essay for The New York Times: “Trump’s Flawed Message to Los Angeles.” ([link removed])
* The Washington Post’s Drew Harwell, Tatum Hunter and Naomi Nix with “How viral images are shaping views of L.A.’s immigration showdown.” ([link removed])
* Juliette Kayyem, a contributing writer at The Atlantic, with “Trump’s Gross Misuse of the National Guard.” ([link removed])
* The visual team from CalMatters with “72 hours in LA: Immigration sweeps, protests and a historic National Guard deployment.” ([link removed])


** Aside from Fox, Republicans tend to distrust major outlets
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For this item, I turn it over to my Poynter colleague, Angela Fu.

While Democrats trust and regularly get their news from a variety of major outlets, Republicans tend to distrust most sources, with one notable exception — Fox News.

That was the primary finding ([link removed]) of a Pew Research Center study released Tuesday. To put together the study, researchers surveyed nearly 9,500 Americans and asked them about their opinions of 30 different outlets, including TV networks, legacy newspapers, public broadcasters, digital publications and right-wing podcasts. They then built an interactive tool ([link removed]) showing how their findings break down by political affiliation and age.

Clicking through the tool reveals that 10 of the 30 outlets from Pew’s survey serve as regular sources of news for at least 25% of Democrats. However, just two outlets serve as regular sources for at least 25% of Republicans — Fox and ABC News.

Younger Americans, those between the ages of 18 and 29, were less likely to say they got their news from any of the outlets studied. No outlet saw more than 30% of that age group cite it as a major source of news. However, those 65 and older were much more likely to still get their news from mainstream outlets. Seven outlets were cited by more than 30% of seniors as being a major source of news.

Younger Americans were also more likely to turn to non-TV sources — particularly The New York Times — for their news, compared to older Americans.

The study also examined levels of trust and distrust for each outlet, with breakdowns by race and political affiliation. Among all adults, BBC and PBS saw high levels of trust compared to distrust. Breitbart and HuffPost saw the opposite. Just 5% of respondents said they trusted Breitbart, while 17% said they distrusted it. Meanwhile, 35% of respondents said they trusted the BBC, while 13% said they distrusted it.


** Good Night, and Good Luck, and Good Ratings
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George Clooney appears at the "Good Night, and Good Luck" Broadway opening night in April. (Andy Kropa/Invision/AP)

CNN’s airing of George Clooney’s Broadway show “Good Night, and Good Luck” last Saturday was a ratings hit for the network. The broadcast drew a total audience of 2.011 million viewers, making it the most-watched show on cable television that night. When you count CNN in the U.S., CNN International, and streaming audiences on Max and CNN’s website, that number rises to 7.34 million total viewers

In the key 25- to 54-year-old demographic, the play on CNN drew 223,000, which was No. 2 on cable behind only ESPN and ESPN2.

“Good Night, and Good Luck” is about legendary CBS journalist Edward R. Murrow and his battles with Sen. Joe McCarthy.


** Media tidbits
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* The New York Times’ Katie Robertson with “Vanity Fair Names Mark Guiducci as Its Top Editor.” ([link removed])
* NFL and college football analyst Dan Orlovsky has agreed to a contract extension with ESPN, according to The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand ([link removed]) . Orlovsky is a former NFL backup quarterback who started breaking down quarterback play in social media video clips and turned it into a well-respected career on ESPN. He works as a college football game analyst, but is best known for talking about the NFL on such shows as “NFL Live,” “Get Up” and “First Take.” Orlovsky has been with ESPN since 2018.
* ESPN announced that “College GameDay” will open the 2025 football season on Aug. 20 in Columbus, Ohio, where Ohio State will host Texas. This will be “GameDay” analyst Lee Corso’s farewell show. Corso has been with “GameDay” since the beginning in 1987. And here’s why returning to Ohio State is so special. On Oct. 5, 1996, Corso started a tradition by putting on the headgear ([link removed]) of a mascot to predict the winner of the featured game of the day. That day, he picked Ohio State to beat Penn State. Corso, who turns 90 in August, went on to make 430 picks by putting on a mascot head. And another reason why it’s fitting to return to Ohio State: Corso has picked Ohio State to win 45 times, more than any other school.
* Awful Announcing’s Sam Neumann with “MLB purchases stake in Jomboy Media creating digital partnership.” ([link removed])


** Hot type
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* A few days old, but an outstanding essay in The New York Times from “Jeopardy!” host Ken Jennings: “‘Trivia and ‘Jeopardy!’ Could Save Our Republic.” ([link removed])
* Tampa Bay Times columnist Stephanie Hayes with an amusing take on the Trump-Musk divorce in “Tips on winning a breakup from a hysterical woman.” ([link removed])


** More resources for journalists
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* Join Poynter leaders and Pulitzer winners on June 16 to discuss solutions for today's sourcing challenges. Enroll today ([link removed]) .
* New reporters: Get essential reporting techniques, effective storytelling methods, and newsroom navigation skills. Register today ([link removed]) .
* New TV producers: Get the tools to create standout content, handle journalism's challenges, and lead your newsroom effectively. Apply today ([link removed]) .
* Learn how to “lead your leaders” in this virtual intensive for journalism managers handling big responsibilities without direct reports. Apply today ([link removed]) .

Have feedback or a tip? Email Poynter senior media writer Tom Jones at [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) .

The Poynter Report is your daily dive into the world of media, packed with the latest news and insights. Get it delivered to your inbox Monday through Friday by signing up here ([link removed]) . And don’t forget to tune into our biweekly podcast ([link removed]) for even more.
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