Update on Autism: Kennedy's Interviews with ABC

There is an internet rumor circulating that high-level executives at ABC had cancelled three interviews with Robert Kennedy. These rumors all trace back to one source, Ariana Huffington’s Huffington Post, which states that the information came from “people involved first hand.” ABC News countered by saying that “We will air when and IF we deem it ready, as our audience would expect.” [IF?!?]

I have requested information from ABC about the expected air date of the interview(s), and have not yet received a reply. I am going to officially remain neutral on this rumor until I get some hard proof one way or the other.

However, I will remind my readers that ABC and Sinclair Broadcasting have taken a politically conservative stance over the past few years…ABC refused to distribute Fahrenheit 911 (much to the dismay of stockholders) and Sinclair Broadcasting forced its ABC affiliates to preempt programming of Ted Koppel reading the names of military casualties. Many ABC affiliates were forced not to show “Saving Private Ryan” due to language concerns.

The reason ABC’s shelving of the interview is problematic is because other networks have embargoed the story due to Mr. Kennedy’s arrangement with ABC. So if ABC does not air any interviews, it would be as though ABC bought all the copies of a disagreeable book and then burned them so that they could never be read.