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Following Terry Moran<\/strong>\u2019s swift departure<\/a> from ABC News, former legacy media journalists who have turned to independent platforms like Substack are encouraging him to follow in their footsteps. \u201cCome on in, Terry. The water is warm,\u201d Jim Acosta<\/strong> tells me.<\/p>\n Just six weeks ago, Moran was in the Oval Office interviewing<\/a> Donald Trump.<\/strong> But on Tuesday, ABC News cut ties with the veteran correspondent after suspending him two days prior for calling Trump and deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller<\/strong> \u201cworld-class haters,\u201d on social media<\/a> in a post he later deleted.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are at the end of our agreement with Terry Moran and based on his recent post\u2014which was a clear violation of ABC News policies\u2014we have made the decision to not renew,\u201d an ABC News spokesperson said in a statement to Vanity Fair.<\/em> \u201cAt ABC News, we hold all of our reporters to the highest standards of objectivity, fairness, and professionalism, and we remain committed to delivering straightforward, trusted journalism.\u201d<\/p>\n The incident allowed for MAGA to once again attack<\/a> the network for perceived biases. ABC News is in a weakened position after already settling<\/a> a lawsuit with the Trump administration in which it paid $15 million to Trump\u2019s presidential library and $1 million to Trump\u2019s attorney.<\/p>\n Many journalists have gone the independent route recently after departing legacy media organizations, including Acosta, Ryan Lizza, Don Lemon, Chuck Todd,<\/strong> and Joy Reid<\/strong>. Mainly, these journalists have pivoted away from reporting, focusing instead on commentary, a more intimate relationship that\u2019s attractive to subscribers. Since his departure, Moran has added \u201cIndependent Journalist\u201d to his X bio, as well as a link to his Substack<\/a>. Given his anticipated pivot into the independent media space, I caught up with some journalists who have made the same jump.<\/p>\n Acosta offered some advice for Moran if he decides to go independent, saying, \u201cDon\u2019t look back. This is the future.\u201d The former CNN anchor also touted Substack, where he has seen much of his recent success, as \u201ca great platform for joining the independent media revolution.\u201d Lizza, who, after his departure from Politico,<\/em> recently founded an independent publication on Substack called Telos,<\/em> thinks Moran would be a \u201chuge hit on Substack, though I\u2019m quite sure he will have many other options as well.\u201d<\/p>\n Moran did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Vanity Fair<\/em>.<\/p>\n Ben Meiselas,<\/strong> one of the founders of MeidasTouch<\/a>, a progressive network with nearly 5 million YouTube subscribers, made a pitch to Moran to join his network in an open letter<\/a> posted on Substack. \u201cThere\u2019s a seat at the table for you, Terry,\u201d Meiselas wrote, touting the success of the organization as well as his recent hiring<\/a> of Katie Phang,<\/strong> who joined after her MSNBC show was canceled. \u201cHelp lead the next era of journalism\u2014one that doesn\u2019t flinch when democracy is under threat,\u201d Meiselas urged.<\/p>\n According to Chris Cillizza,<\/strong> former CNN political reporter turned independent news creator, \u201cThe reality is that there has never been a better time to be on your own, making news content free of legacy media.\u201d Cillizza, who tells me he is focusing on growing his YouTube presence at the moment, added that the role of an independent journalist is different from legacy media. \u201cMy advice to Terry or any other legacy media person who goes independent is this: You have spent your whole life as a buyer. People came to you with information, job offers, etc. Now you are a seller,\u201d he said, adding, \u201cMy view is that as an independent news creator, you have to be in a lot of places at once.\u201d<\/p>\n Even with the workload that comes with independent media, Cillizza argues that it\u2019s a better place to be while legacy media is currently experiencing an \u201cutter lack of creativity.\u201d He added that \u201cthe solution to cable TV\u2019s woes (outside of Fox News, of course) isn\u2019t a new set. Or a change of venue. It\u2019s a fundamental rethinking of what people want.\u201d Cillizza claims he is able to provide that as an independent journalist, and stay more nimble than legacy organizations can: \u201cI am a little boat. I can maneuver quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n Lizza told me that ABC\u2019s decision to cut ties with Moran \u201csends a chilling message to reporters\u201d at the network. \u201cIt\u2019s more evidence that any journalist who works for a giant corporation regulated by the Trump government can no longer depend on the firewalls that for decades protected news divisions from business-side meddling.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOnce independent media grows to a level where it\u2019s making corporate media more nervous, they will adjust and grow a stronger spine,\u201d Acosta added. \u201cUntil then the public will keep flocking to independent journalists who hold Trump\u2019s feet to the fire. This is the way.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n