Terry Moran's tenure with the Legacy Media ended abruptly last year.
The ABC reporter said the quiet part out loud, trashing President Donald Trump in a way even his peers couldn't tolerate. He called the president a "world-class hater," something that would likely be considered kind on his cocktail party circuit.
The appearance of bias was just too much, and he's been an independent journalist ever since.
Moran made some news himself this week, although the story should have been much bigger than even he realized. The ex-ABC news employee told the Fifth Column podcast how the network spiked a major ABC report in 2021. The investigation suggested the COVID-19 pandemic may have begun in a lab, not via a Chinese "wet market."
Why? Dr. Anthony Fauci pressured the network to kill the story. The Alphabet network did as told.
🚨 Fmr. ABC News’ Terry Moran Says Fauci Shut Down Their COVID Lab Leak Story
— Chief Nerd (@TheChiefNerd) August 14, 2026
“The day that it's supposed to air, it gets reviewed and it comes back to me — it is incomprehensible … I was told ‘Fauci’ … There was an organized campaign … to say there's no way there's a lab… pic.twitter.com/FM2Q6oe3m8
Now, years later, most responsible people understand the virus likely came courtesy of a lab leak. At the time, saying as much painted someone as a racist or something equally awful.
We can partially thank Dr. Fauci for that.
Moran's revelations still matter. News censorship is a very big deal, at least on paper. Learning a government official went over the line and told a news outlet to spike a story should trigger journalists across the country.
That's especially true if the story in question was as big as the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the world. So where's the outrage?
You'll see some here and at places like Fox News. That's about it. There are two explanations, but the second is the more formidable.
The first is simple. "The Fifth Column" podcast takes a Libertarian look at politics. So many journalists, who lean to the Left on any given Sunday, may not have heard about Moran's confession.
That's a charitable possibility.
The other rationale is more twisted and likely true. The Legacy Media will do all it can to discount or outright bury stories that paint Dr. Fauci in a negative light. They collectively built him up as a saintly figure, so sharing the many reasons why he betrayed our trust makes them look bad.
We saw that in recent weeks with several shocking revelations from Dr. Fauci's government diaries. Yet the Legacy Media did its best to minimize the fallout. And, when Dr. Fauci pleaded the Fifth no less than 111 times, most late-night hosts couldn't find anything to roast about that.
Now, if left-leaning Bari Weiss is accused of doctoring a "60 Minutes" investigation in any fashion, the media covers it like a Watergate break-in. The Left and the media, but we repeat ourselves, loathe Weiss for giving the Right a fair shake and supporting Israel.
She must be punished, whether or not she's guilty of the journalistic crimes in question.
If a reporter admits that Dr. Fauci helped censor a major story, it's time for the, "look, squirrel!" defense.
The other questions that few, if any, are asking Moran? Why didn't you object at the time? Why did you wait five whole years until sharing this important story? And did you think speaking out would have cost you your ABC gig?
As is, Moran will face zero consequences for the whole, sordid affair. Even worse?
So will Dr. Fauci.
