Former ABC Correspondent Claims Network Altered COVID Lab Leak Report After Consulting Fauci

Terry Moran, a former correspondent at ABC News, made striking allegations this week regarding how the Disney-owned network substantially revised a COVID-19 origins report he had produced. During an interview with “The Fifth Column” podcast published Friday, Moran described experiencing what he characterized as institutional censorship while reporting on the lab leak hypothesis in early 2021.

Moran explained that ABC’s “Nightline” program greenlit his investigation into emerging scientific discussions about whether the coronavirus had escaped from a Chinese laboratory. His reporting included interviews with scientists and Trump administration officials and revealed that the Wuhan Institute of Virology had received funding from the Chinese military, contrary to claims made by virologist Shi Zhengli. The correspondent said his original piece presented evidence without reaching definitive conclusions about the virus’s origins.

The journalist recounted his shock upon reviewing the final cut scheduled for broadcast, describing it as “incomprehensible” and stating he had never felt more angry. He indicated that legal review, standards departments, and Dr. Anthony Fauci had all weighed in on revisions to the story. According to Moran, so many caveats and legal language were inserted that the finished product bore little resemblance to his original work.

When podcast co-host Michael Moynihan asked whether ABC had sent the script to Fauci, Moran confirmed he had been told this was the case, though he acknowledged not having direct knowledge of the arrangement. The revised segment aired in June 2021 and featured medical experts who largely rejected the lab leak theory, including ABC News producer Sony Salzman and investigative reporter Sasha Pezenik, while Jamie Metzl, a World Health Organization committee member who supported the lab leak hypothesis, was significantly outnumbered.

Moran departed from ABC News in 2025 and has since acknowledged that criticism of Fauci has been excessive, characterizing the former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director as a dedicated public servant. ABC News, Fauci, and Moran did not respond to requests for comment from Fox News Digital, nor did the White House address an inquiry sent to them.

Fauci has drawn renewed scrutiny following the recent publication of his private diaries, released by Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., which documented contradictions between his personal assessments of COVID-19 and his public statements. The documents also detailed his relationships with prominent media figures including CNN anchors Jake Tapper and Dana Bash, NBC’s Andrea Mitchell, and ABC’s George Stephanopoulos.

Senate Republicans on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee voted earlier this month to hold Fauci in contempt of Congress following his testimony last month, during which he invoked the Fifth Amendment 111 times. The committee subsequently referred the matter to the Department of Justice for potential criminal prosecution at Paul’s behest.

The lab leak theory has gained credibility within U.S. government agencies in recent years, with the CIA, FBI, and Department of Energy all identifying it as the most probable explanation for the pandemic’s origins. Nevertheless, numerous scientists maintain support for the natural origin hypothesis, and the question of COVID-19’s genesis remains a subject of intense scientific and political debate.