Terry Moran is accustomed to reporting from across the nation. Getting all that journalism served up? That’s where he’s had to learn a few things.
“Logistics, equipment…all that stuff is ‘old dog, new tricks,'” quips Moran during a recent interview.
Moran used to report for traditional TV outlets, most recently ABC News. For nearly a year, however, he has written a newsletter offering his take on national affairs and politics, something he gravitated toward after leaving the Disney news organization in June of 2025 following a decision to post candid remarks on social media about President Donald Trump and his adviser, Stephen Miller. Now, he’s ready to add some more interactive components.
His new outlet, RealPatriotism.com, is meant to serve as an independent journalism franchise focused on the political stories, civic conversations, and public issues shaping American life. Moran will host a flagship live daily call-in show, “On the Line,” that will feature interviews, audience participation, and real-time discussion around the political stories and issues shaping the country.
“I would love to be able to play a role in the rehabilitation of genuine civic discussion, where civility and decency are the coin of the realm,” says Moran, who adds: “It’s ambitious, but why not swing for the fences?”
He is the latest in a parade of veterans from mainstream news outlets who are feeling their way through the world of independent media, aided by a lower bar to entry spurred by technology. Moran can put on a professional video program quite easily, and will do so for this venture using beehiiv, a platform for creators, as well as Collective Media, a company that helps journalists create their own media ventures.
Others who have started along the path include Chuck Todd, Jim Acosta, Don Lemon and Joanna Stern. among others. Intriguingly, some mainstream news organizations have started to line up creators in new business deals, hoping these digital experts represent a way of enlisting journalistic acumen without having to bring a full-time staffer aboard.
Moran says he intends to maintain his coverage of national and legal affairs. He became more prominent on the national front as he covered such events as the Anita Hill-Clarence Thomas hearings and the Los Angeles trials of Lyle and Erik Menendez and O. J. Simpson. “We are going to cover the news,” he says of his new venture.
Still, he also hopes to appeal to people from all walks of life, not just liberals or conservatives. “The idea of the show ‘On The Line’ is that we don’t just talk to people we agree with, people who are already established,” Moran says.
He intends to maintain his newsletter, and says people who subscribe to it will automatically be included in his new platform. “I want to kind of keep everybody, and so they won’t see any difference if they already subscribe,” he says. He intends to offer a “tiered subscription model” that will allow followers to engage as they see fit. Paid members will receive access to exclusive content and direct engagement with Moran.
The journalist acknowledges his months since leaving ABC News have been filled with new challenges. All aspects of independent journalism, he says, are “up to you. You have to figure out the technology. You have to figure out the lighting You have to figure out the handling of things. Editorial is my love, obviously, but it’s only one part of what you have to figure out.”
Like many other reporters, Moran is eager to find new ways to keep chronicling the world around him. “This is a fledgling business in a fledgling field that has significant challenges,” he says. “But the work? I love it.”
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