Although the scandal first appeared in national headlines on May 6, the actual arrests occurred over a period spanning from April 23 to 27, as part of a larger law enforcement operation by Customs and Border Patrol (CBP). Thus, it’s entirely likely that at least someone at ABC News was aware of this story even before national outlets like New York Post began reporting on it.
Whilst ignoring the CBP arrests, ABC’s flagship morning and evening news shows found plenty of time to cover some other, more innocuous Disney-related news. Between May 9 and May 11, the network aired a whopping four obsequious segments celebrating former Disney CEO Bob Iger receiving an honorary degree from Howard University — three on Good Morning America, and one on Saturday’s World News Tonight:
On Friday, May 8, Good Morning America set aside several minutes to promote the season finale of American Idol — which just so happens to air on ABC.
And on Saturday, May 9, Good Morning America also found time to for a nearly three-minute segment (175 seconds) on a New York City coffee shop that was attempting to introduce Americans to Cambodian culture.
Ironically, the thing that makes this scandal newsworthy is also likely the factor preventing ABC News from covering it in the first place: Disney’s involvement. Although the Walt Disney Company is a mass-media behemoth, its reputation is first and foremost that of a children-friendly company. The employment of alleged sexual predators would be a major scandal for any media empire; but for Disney, it’s potentially catastrophic.
But despite the seriousness of this story (or perhaps because of it), ABC News appears more interested in promoting its parent company and fawning over local coffee shops than it is in breaking actual news.
