More than 100 ABC News veterans urge Disney CEO Bob Iger to stand firm against Trump attacks
By Brian Stelter, CNN
(CNN) — A group of 100-plus former ABC News journalists has sent a letter to Disney CEO Bob Iger urging him to make “a concerted effort to defend free speech and press freedom against political intimidation.”
The letter, obtained by CNN on Wednesday, soon after it was delivered to Iger, was first drafted when ABC suspended “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” last week.
Given that Disney brought Kimmel’s show back on Tuesday night, the letter begins by commending Iger’s decision, calling it “an important statement that political intimidation should not dictate ABC’s programming.”
“Yet, it must be just the first step,” the signees say.
“Disney has both the responsibility and the opportunity to lead by standing firmly against capitulation and in defense of democratic values,” the letter says, arguing that ABC’s $16 million settlement with Trump last December emboldened the president to escalate his attacks.
“The First Amendment is not negotiable,” the letter continues. “ABC’s credibility and Disney’s reputation depend on unwavering leadership in its defense. At this critical moment, you have the chance to set a powerful example by standing up for the principles that define both our democracy and The Walt Disney Company.”
The list of signees includes former correspondents like Sam Donaldson and Judy Muller; former executive producers like Tom Bettag; and Kayce Freed Jennings, widow of the famed ABC anchor Peter Jennings.
Former ABC correspondent Lisa Stark and former executive producer Ian Cameron, who spearheaded the letter, told CNN that “we understand that Disney and other networks are under enormous political and economic pressure, but this is a moment where Bob Iger and others must not waver in protecting the free press and their journalists.”
Kimmel highlighted Trump’s pressure against news outlets in his widely viewed monologue on Tuesday night.
“We have to speak out against this bully. He’s not stopping. And it’s not just comedy,” Kimmel said. “He’s gunning for our journalists, too. He’s suing them, he’s bullying them.”
About an hour before the Kimmel episode aired, Trump posted a fresh threat against ABC on Truth Social, baselessly accusing the network of an illegal campaign contribution.
The political pressure on ABC’s parent company has placed journalists at ABC News in a difficult spot. However, the news division has thoroughly reported on the Kimmel contretemps and has broken key stories about the Trump administration.
ABC’s Jon Karl led last Sunday’s edition of the public affairs program “This Week” with a sweeping look at Trump’s pursuit of “retribution.”
He also pointed to a newly announced Pentagon policy that “would require reporters to pledge that they won’t gather or use information, even unclassified information, that hasn’t been expressly authorized for release and will revoke the press passes of reporters who do not obey.”
“That’s a policy you might expect to see in China, Russia, or North Korea, but not in the United States,” Karl said, adding it to a list of “series of steps by the federal government to silence voices seen as critical of President Trump.”
The-CNN-Wire
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