ABC News Ends Practice Of Paying Interview Subjects For Exclusive Access

by Matt Schneider | 6:19 pm, July 25th, 2011

» 13 comments

The ABC News division is making some news of its own by acknowledging they will no longer dole out license fees for photos or videos to potential newsmakers, in exchange for exclusive access to then later conduct interviews with them. The Daily Beast’s Howard Kurtz reports that after several “black eyes,” including paying Casey Anthony $200,000 for photos in 2008 before she was charged with murder of her daughter, ABC News president Ben Sherwood has decided against allowing the practice to be used in the future.

ABC spokesman Jeffrey Schneider told Kurtz:

“We can book just about anyone based on the strength of our journalism, the excellence of our anchors, correspondents, and producers, and the size of our audience. These licensing deals had become a crutch, and an unnecessary one.”

Given that today’s ABC interview with the Dominique Strauss-Kahn accuser again raised questions regarding whether ABC offered any money for the access (they didn’t), it seems ABC is intent on removing the doubt observers might have over any of their future interviews. Therefore, newsmakers looking to make a quick buck off of their fifteen minutes of fame in the future, you can now cross one news network off of your list.

Check out the full story at The Daily Beast.

ABC News, Casey Anthony, Howard Kurtz, paying for interviews

Anonymous

ABC paid a child murderer $200k? Disgusting!
http://twitter.com/criticaljane Jane

It’s about time. Now, NBC and CBS need to do the same.
http://twitter.com/lazzzlo lazzzlo

Actually the Daily Beast article states that

The new approach is not an absolute ban, but network sources say it would take an extraordinary circumstance to allow a licensing fee—perhaps once every couple of years—that would require approval at the highest levels.

That seems to indicate that they might be providing themselves a loophole. Never say never!
http://www.facebook.com/people/Wesley-Smith/725105211 Wesley Smith

Here’s a dumb question…

When ABC News issues a press release, WHO do they release it to, exactly?
http://www.facebook.com/people/Wesley-Smith/725105211 Wesley Smith

Here’s a dumb question…

When ABC News issues a press release, WHO do they release it to, exactly?
Anonymous

Okay, so will ALL the media divisions @ ABC follow suit,or is this just for the “news” division? I guess we can still count on those who want to get paid to end up on Good Morning America.
Anonymous

I’m sure when a company as “connected” as ABCNews does, it’s just a simple email blast to all the “right” people.

When private companies have to issue a press release, they’ll usually contract with a PR firm who will then contract with one of the commercial press release distributors, of which there are dozens and dozens (maybe hundreds).
Anonymous

Yeah, they didn’t pay for an interview with Roy Kronk who found Caylee’s body; they just paid him $15K for a picture of a dead snake and while he was there, just casually asked him about finding the body.
Anonymous

Thumbs up to ABC for this move.
Anonymous

Let’s boycott any of these loser channels that fail to show an exciting prime-time interview with Casey Anthony. They can afford to pay.
http://twitter.com/RonCdeWeijze Ron C. de Weijze

Mediaite You Disgust Me!! Making it seem like Casey Anthony received that sum, while it was for the court system to let her go before the trial started but taking it back right after they had their go at her family’s house. Will you please have an editor overseeing this above the editor overseeing this? Something went RIGHT you know, during the trial. NOT WRONG!
Anonymous

@Ron C. de Weijze Wow, you are incredibly misinformed. There was a hearing wherein her finances were disclosed by her attorneys, including the ABC payment and expenditures made from it. Not one cent of her payment from ABC went towards bail.

The Anthonys did not secure her bond with their home (the bounty hunter and his bondsman paid it), so their home was never a part of the trial at all. The court system never “had a go” at their house. They defaulted on payments and were foreclosed on by the mortgage holder, like millions of others, but something was worked out that allowed them to keep the home.
http://twitter.com/RonCdeWeijze Ron C. de Weijze

My information is that the bail was paid by the network, anonymously. The journalists got access to the family in return. Then there was an argument between the family and the journalists so that the bailout money was paid back or never paid in the first place, and Casey had to be locked up again. I don’t know from which sources I got all this so far, but I am trying to get an accurate picture. Database available via download. http://crpa.co/CRPA-Application-Attorneys.htm