Former “Good Morning America” anchor Janai Norman criticized her former colleagues for “upholding white supremacy” and “playing into racial divisions” in their coverage of Nolan Wells’ death.
Nolan, 18, was found dead 2 days after celebrating the Fourth of July with friends on Mississippi’s Horn Island.
Nolan declined to return to the mainland with his friends. His body was found near Horn Island on July 6.
In a video on her YouTube channel, Norman took issue with former colleague Michael Strahan asking Nolan’s parents why he would “stay behind” on Horn Island after his friends asked him to leave with them.
“The question should have been, ‘Do you believe that?'” Norman said, “not asking these grieving parents to defend a decision that we don’t even know for certain their deceased son made.”
Norman continued: “I would say that it was insensitive. It also absolves authorities because, as I showed you before, that’s not just the friend’s version of what happened. That’s now authorities’ official version.”
Norman expressed her distrust of law enforcement agencies in general.
“Many news organizations haven’t yet learned that they cannot always trust law enforcement as primary sources of credible information, and that is what plays into racial divisions,” she said.
Norman added: “According to his parents, they say he had messages that appeared to be deleted [from his phone]. The body didn’t wash up with the tide on Sunday. They didn’t find it until Monday. It’s being immediately ruled an accidental drowning. By ignoring that context, news organizations become complicit in upholding white supremacy, and — whether intentionally or unintentionally — end up playing into racial divisions.”
Norman’s 15-year career at Good Morning America ended when ABC declined to renew her contract in April.