Terry Moran, a former ABC News correspondent, says he proposed an early report on President Joe Biden's declining health after observing signs of frailty on a Spring 2023 trip to Japan but was blocked by network editors. Moran said he was told such coverage belonged to ABC's medical unit and stressed he was not attempting a medical diagnosis. His claim adds to wider debate about how mainstream outlets covered Biden's mental acuity. Moran left ABC in 2025 after criticizing Donald Trump and Stephen Miller.
Ex-ABC Reporter Terry Moran Says Network Shut Down His Early Biden Health Story
‘I Got Shut Down Very Hard!’ Ex-ABC News Reporter Terry Moran Claims Network Blocked His Early Story on Biden’s Health
Former ABC News correspondent Terry Moran says he urged the network to publish a story about President Joe Biden's declining health but was blocked by editors. Moran made the claim during a recent interview on The Daily Beast podcast, citing observations from a Spring 2023 trip to Japan where he said he noticed signs of frailty.
According to Moran, he pitched the piece in late 2023 and early 2024 because he believed the issue was a legitimate public concern. He emphasized he was not attempting to make a medical diagnosis: 'I'm not a doctor, I'm not diagnosing — but we all know what we know when we see people fading. We all have had grandparents,' Moran said.
'I tried to do the story of Biden's health before anybody else did in network, because I'd seen it. And I got shut down very hard,' Moran said. He quoted editors as telling him, 'It's the medical unit's business, it's not yours.'
Moran recalled that Biden appeared frail on the trip to Japan, saying the president 'looked like he'd blow away in a stiff wind' and noting an increasingly quiet delivery in speeches by the end of his term. Moran's account adds to a broader debate about how and when mainstream outlets covered the former president's mental acuity; CNN anchor Jake Tapper and Axios reporter Alex Thompson addressed this topic in a book last year, with Tapper acknowledging there was 'not enough' coverage.
An ABC News spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Mediaite. Moran worked at ABC News from 1997 until 2025; he was let go after publicly criticizing former President Donald Trump and White House adviser Stephen Miller, whom Moran described as 'richly endowed with the capacity for hatred.'
Context And Ongoing Debate
Moran has also argued that ABC News suffers from a liberal bias and lacks right-leaning voices, which he says can limit newsroom perspective on politically charged stories. His latest comments underline ongoing tensions over editorial decisions, newsroom responsibilities (including the role of medical units), and the public's interest in the health of senior elected officials.
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