Days after Disney paid a $15 million settlement for ABC’s coverage of President-elect Donald Trump, the likely incoming Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chair, Brendan Carr, issued a warning to Disney CEO Bob Iger. In a letter, first made public by CNN, Carr stated he would monitor ABC’s affiliate negotiations. However, his concerns extended beyond those negotiations. He cited the $15 million settlement, accusing ABC of contributing to an “erosion in public trust” in the media.
This settlement followed a public apology from ABC and Disney on December 14th for statements made by anchor George Stephanopoulos. During a March 10, 2024 interview with Rep. Nancy Mace, Stephanopoulos reported that a jury had held the President-elect liable for raping columnist E. Jean Carroll in a May 2023 civil case. The jury, however, specified the offense as sexual abuse, a distinction recognized under New York law. This led to a defamation lawsuit from Trump. ABC News and Stephanopoulos subsequently issued a statement expressing regret for the inaccurate reporting.
Crucially, Judge Lewis Kaplan, who presided over the Carroll case, clarified the situation in July 2023, *before* Stephanopoulos’s comment. The judge stated that the jury’s finding of sexual abuse did indeed constitute rape as the term is commonly understood, even if it didn’t meet the specific legal definition under New York law. He emphasized that the jury found Trump had committed the act.
Despite this clarification, Carr’s letter to Iger asserted that “Americans no longer trust the national news media to report fully, accurately and fairly,” directly linking ABC’s conduct to this perceived erosion of trust. Both President-elect Trump and Carr are signaling a more aggressive approach to targeting alleged media bias and inaccuracies.
Legal experts and press freedom advocates argue that such lawsuits, frequently filed by politicians, celebrities, and business leaders, aim to drain resources and intimidate news outlets. This, they say, discourages critical reporting for fear of costly legal battles. Trump’s legal actions extend beyond ABC, including lawsuits against the *Des Moines Register* (over a poll that misrepresented his Iowa performance) and CBS (regarding a “60 Minutes” interview with Kamala Harris, with a dispute over whether Trump withdrew from a planned appearance).
These actions, coupled with the FCC’s warning to Disney, highlight a growing tension between the incoming administration and the national media. The implications for journalistic freedom and the public’s access to unbiased information remain significant.