Disney Co-Chair Close Friend of Harris, ABC Says Bias Won’t Affect Debate With Trump

Dana Walden, co-chair of ABC News’ (Lean Left bias) parent company Disney, has donated to Vice President Kamala Harris’s political campaigns since 2003, raising concerns that it could affect the integrity of the Trump-Harris ABC debate scheduled for September 10.

For Context: Walden is a longtime friend of Harris’s and, in 2023, donated $20,000 to President Biden and the Democratic Party. Earlier this year, former President Trump sued ABC for defamation.

NYT Profile: On August 11, The New York Times (Lean Left bias) published a feature highlighting the close relationship between Harris and Walden. The Times described the “enduring friendship” between Harris and Walden as “genuine” and “rare” and noted that Walden has not held a fundraiser for Harris “since June 2022, when ABC News came under her purview.”

ABC Statement: The Times published an ABC quote claiming Walden is not involved in editorial decisions. “All editorial decisions are in the hands of ABC News management and the seasoned journalists and producers of ABC, who hold themselves to the highest journalistic standards,” ABC wrote. 

Coverage From The Right: Several outlets on the right, like Newsmax (Right bias), Washington Times (Lean Right bias), and Fox News (Right bias) covered the story from the angle that Harris’s relationship with Walden was being scrutinized after the Times published its piece. Straight Arrow News (Center bias) noted that the story was mostly covered by the right. AllSides did not find additional coverage from the left or center.