Atop ABC, a Personal Connection to Kamala Harris - The New York Times (archive.is)
Aug. 11, 2024
On paper, the potential for a conflict of interest seems obvious: ABC News, the host of next month’s high-stakes presidential debate, falls under the purview of a top corporate executive at Disney who happens to be longtime friends with the Democratic nominee.
The executive, Dana Walden, first met Kamala Harris in 1994. Their husbands, Matt Walden and Doug Emhoff, have known each other since the 1980s. The Waldens — “extraordinary friends,” per the vice president — have donated money to Ms. Harris’s political campaigns since at least 2003, when she ran for district attorney in San Francisco.
“In many ways, Dana and Matt are responsible for my marriage,” Ms. Harris joked at a fund-raiser in April 2022 at the Waldens’ home in Brentwood, a wealthy Los Angeles enclave where Ms. Harris and Mr. Emhoff also own a residence. The Waldens, Vice President Harris explained, set up a couple who in turn had set her up with Mr. Emhoff on a blind date.
Ms. Harris’s Republican opponent, former President Donald J. Trump, recently sued ABC News for defamation, and he and his allies are often quick to accuse news organizations of bias when they are displeased by coverage.
ABC News says that any perception of a conflict involving Ms. Walden is not reality. The company says that the executive, who oversees 18 businesses across the sprawling Disney empire, is only involved in the news division’s corporate matters (like budgets and staff size) and that she has no say in editorial decisions.
“ABC News has built its longstanding reputation on journalistic integrity,” the network said in a statement. “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.”
Other corporate media executives have supported political candidates. Ms. Walden’s boss — Robert A. Iger, chief executive of the Walt Disney Company, which owns ABC — has given hundreds of thousands of dollars to Democrats over the years. Rupert Murdoch, whose family controls the Fox Corporation, was a guest at last month’s Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
But rare is the genuine, enduring friendship like that between Ms. Harris and Ms. Walden. Their closeness is no secret in Los Angeles and Washington circles, though it has become more notable in light of Ms. Harris’s ascension to the top of the ticket — and ABC’s confirmation on Thursday that the network would host a prime-time debate that could make or break the vice president’s political future.
As Disney’s highest-ranking television executive, Ms. Walden, 59 — whose title is co-chairman of Disney Entertainment — oversees ABC, a chain of local television stations, multiple TV studios, a constellation of cable networks and Disney’s streaming services.
Within that expansive portfolio is ABC News. Under Ms. Walden’s leadership, her official biography on Disney’s website states, “ABC News continues to dominate as the No. 1 news network in America.”
Aug. 11, 2024
On paper, the potential for a conflict of interest seems obvious: ABC News, the host of next month’s high-stakes presidential debate, falls under the purview of a top corporate executive at Disney who happens to be longtime friends with the Democratic nominee.
The executive, Dana Walden, first met Kamala Harris in 1994. Their husbands, Matt Walden and Doug Emhoff, have known each other since the 1980s. The Waldens — “extraordinary friends,” per the vice president — have donated money to Ms. Harris’s political campaigns since at least 2003, when she ran for district attorney in San Francisco.
“In many ways, Dana and Matt are responsible for my marriage,” Ms. Harris joked at a fund-raiser in April 2022 at the Waldens’ home in Brentwood, a wealthy Los Angeles enclave where Ms. Harris and Mr. Emhoff also own a residence. The Waldens, Vice President Harris explained, set up a couple who in turn had set her up with Mr. Emhoff on a blind date.
Ms. Harris’s Republican opponent, former President Donald J. Trump, recently sued ABC News for defamation, and he and his allies are often quick to accuse news organizations of bias when they are displeased by coverage.
ABC News says that any perception of a conflict involving Ms. Walden is not reality. The company says that the executive, who oversees 18 businesses across the sprawling Disney empire, is only involved in the news division’s corporate matters (like budgets and staff size) and that she has no say in editorial decisions.
“ABC News has built its longstanding reputation on journalistic integrity,” the network said in a statement. “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.”
Other corporate media executives have supported political candidates. Ms. Walden’s boss — Robert A. Iger, chief executive of the Walt Disney Company, which owns ABC — has given hundreds of thousands of dollars to Democrats over the years. Rupert Murdoch, whose family controls the Fox Corporation, was a guest at last month’s Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
But rare is the genuine, enduring friendship like that between Ms. Harris and Ms. Walden. Their closeness is no secret in Los Angeles and Washington circles, though it has become more notable in light of Ms. Harris’s ascension to the top of the ticket — and ABC’s confirmation on Thursday that the network would host a prime-time debate that could make or break the vice president’s political future.
As Disney’s highest-ranking television executive, Ms. Walden, 59 — whose title is co-chairman of Disney Entertainment — oversees ABC, a chain of local television stations, multiple TV studios, a constellation of cable networks and Disney’s streaming services.
Within that expansive portfolio is ABC News. Under Ms. Walden’s leadership, her official biography on Disney’s website states, “ABC News continues to dominate as the No. 1 news network in America.”
