When ABC News journalist Brian Ross made a mistake while reporting on Russian involvement in Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, the network quickly suspended him.

The veteran journalist was taken off the air for four weeks without pay in 2017 when he alleged that Michael Flynn, Mr. Trump’s former national security adviser, would testify that his boss had directed him to contact Russian officials during the White House campaign to record.

Mr Ross, who left the ABC just months later, is one of several correspondents suspended for making false or biased statements.

David Wright, another journalist, was caught up in a sting operation in February 2020 in which he compared Mr. Trump to a “nightmare spouse with whom you can’t win an argument.” He was quickly suspended and later removed from political reporting by the station.

That same year, ABC suspended Matt Gutman, their chief national correspondent, when he incorrectly reported that all four of Kobe Bryant’s children had died in the helicopter crash that killed the basketball player, rather than one.

“People are okay with the big interviews going to David (Muir),” they added. “There is no reason to continue paying George so much money. Those days are over.”

Biden gaffe

Days before Ms. Harris reached the top of the Democratic ticket, George Stephanopoulos said on camera that he did not believe Mr. Biden could sit in the White House for another four years after his disastrous performance in the debate.

The gaffe frustrated many in the ABC Newsroom who said he should have remained neutral on the matter, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Mr Stephanopoulos later admitted that he should not have carried out the intervention.

In the past, ABC has been uncompromising in dealing with journalists who made errors of inaccuracy or bias.

When Mr Ross made his mistake and was suspended, the ABC issued a statement saying: “We deeply regret and apologize for the serious error” and added that the reporting had “not been fully vetted through our standard editorial process.” “.

But for Mr. Stephanopoulos, a certain level of notoriety and executives’ desire to retain an anchor who was thinking about leaving for greener pastures in 2020 appear to have kept him from the same high standards.

The following day he was back on air on “This Week,” where the defamation settlement went unmentioned.

Tainted by the admission of false reporting

ABC stood firm for months until a delayed mea culpa that the Journal said its reporters viewed as an attempt by Disney to protect its corporate interests and access to the White House.

Some in the network now fear that Mr. Stephanopoulos has been discredited by his admission that he misrepresented the president-elect’s ruling on sexual assault.

The Wall Street Journal reports that some believe this means he is carrying “unnecessary reputational and legal damage.”

At the same time, his leadership of Good Morning America caused the show’s ratings to fall behind NBC’s Today during the time slot.

Any other network that has cut the salaries of its top talent, like CNN or NBC, would wonder whether Mr. Stephanopoulos – who earns millions of dollars and cost millions more through the $15 million libel settlement – is a luxury that he can afford.

Judging by the deal he reportedly made this month, it hasn’t crossed ABC’s mind yet.

ABC News has been contacted for comment.

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