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 announcement 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.”
Ms. Walden has not hosted a fund-raiser for Ms. Harris since June 2022, when ABC News came under her purview, Disney Entertainment said in a statement.
In 2023, though, Ms. Walden donated $20,000 to support President Biden and the Democratic Party, according to public filings.
The ABC debate between Ms. Harris and former President Donald J. Trump is set for Sept. 10, and will be moderated by the anchors David Muir and Linsey Davis. Political coverage at ABC News is overseen by Rick Klein, the newly named Washington bureau chief. Mr. Klein reports to Debra OConnell, president of News Group and Networks at Disney Entertainment. Ms. OConnell reports to Ms. Walden.
Usually, ABC News has its own president, who acts as another layer of management between the news division and Ms. Walden. But ABC News has been operating without anyone in that role since the last president, Kim Godwin, resigned under pressure in May.
Several executives at other TV networks, who are ultimately in charge of broadcast news divisions, have contributed to political candidates, according to public documents.
George Cheeks, who became chief executive of CBS in March 2020, donated $400 to support Mr. Biden’s campaign later that year, records show. Wendy McMahon, the chief executive of CBS News and Stations, contributed $3,550 toward Mr. Biden’s candidacy in 2020; at the time, Ms. McMahon worked on the business side of ABC, where she reported to Ms. Walden. (Ms. McMahon has made no political donations since joining CBS News in 2021.)
Cesar Conde, chairman of NBCUniversal News Group, contributed $2,300 in support of John McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign, records show. At the time, Mr. Conde served as chief strategy officer at Univision, and he was not involved in the network’s news coverage.
Ms. Walden is both revered and feared in Hollywood, where she is known for her creative acumen — she has overseen hits like “The Bear,” “Only Murders in the Building,” “Family Guy” and “Modern Family” — and not accepting “no” for an answer.
She is a candidate to succeed Mr. Iger as Disney’s chief executive when his contract expires in 2026.
Ms. Walden has worked at Disney since 2019, when Mr. Murdoch sold most of 21st Century Fox to Disney. Ms. Walden previously ran the Fox Television Group, which consisted of content studios and the Fox broadcast network; it did not include Fox News.
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