Norman, 36, issued the criticism on social media, citing a July 11 ABC News interview with the parents of Nolan Wells, the 18-year-old man who was found dead following a Fourth of July trip.
Recently ousted Good Morning America weekend anchor Janai Norman is accusing her old network of being 'complicit in upholding white supremacy.'
Norman, 36, issued the criticism on social media, citing a July 11 ABC News interview with the parents of Nolan Wells, the 18-year-old black man who was found dead following a Fourth of July trip in Mississippi earlier this month.
GMA's Michael Strahan led the questioning.
Norman said he ignored the 'historical context of Mississippi - the state with the most recorded lynchings in history,' by not asking the parents whether they believed authorities' official statements.
Instead, Strahan asked the couple why their son would have voluntarily stayed behind when he and his friends' boat began taking on water off Horn Island.
His friends, who are all white, said they had no choice but to leave Wells behind. Local authorities said they had uncovered no signs of foul play early on.
'The question should have been, "Do you believe that?"' Norman said, scolding Strahan for 'not asking these grieving parents to defend a decision that we don’t even know for certain their deceased son made.'
'That was not an objective question.'
Recently ousted Good Morning America weekend anchor Janai Norman is criticizing her old network on social media. Showrunners declined to renew her contract when it expired in April, a person familiar with the talks told the Daily Mail at the time
Norman took issue with the type of questions former costar Michael Strahan asked the parents of Nolan Wells, the 18-year-old man who was found dead following a Fourth of July trip in Mississippi, during an interview on July 10
'Subjectively, I would say that it was insensitive.
'Many news organizations haven't yet learned that they cannot trust law enforcement as credible sources of information, and that is what plays into racial divisions.
'By ignoring that context, news organizations become complicit in upholding white supremacy and, whether intentionally or unintentionally, end up playing into racial divisions,' Norman continued.
The criticism is only the latest launched by Norman against ABC News after she lost her post as weekend co-anchor in April.
Showrunners declined to renew her contract as it expired, a person familiar with the talks told the Daily Mail at the time.
On Friday, a source told the Daily Mail Norman was not happy in her weekend role and wanted more after four years - but that the desire 'was not realistic.'
Strahan, 54, is a fulltime GMA anchor, has been for more than a decade and is one of the most respected faces of the ABC News network.
Norman confirmed her ABC News exit after 15 years in a video posted to Instagram on Saturday, April 4, not on-air.
Strahan asked the couple why their son, who was black, would have voluntarily stayed behind when he and his friends' boat began taking on water
'The question should have been, "Do you believe that?"' Norman said, scolding Strahan for ignoring the racial history of the South. On Friday, a source said Norman was not happy in her weekend role and wanted more after four years - but that the desire 'was not realistic'
'It really breaks my heart that I don’t get to say goodbye,' she said at the time, in the first of several social media missives about her old company.
'I’m so sorry that I don’t get to say goodbye. It would’ve been fun.'
The Daily Mail understands Norman and ABC had a conversation about her saying goodbye on-air earlier in the week but that the anchor opted for the social media route.
In weeks since, Norman has announced the release of her upcoming memoir, spoken about her mental health struggles with People, and has regularly posted stinging critiques of ABC News’ coverage of Wells' death, which remains under investigation.
One framed an ABC News digital story as being 'problematic' for victim 'blam[ing].'
In another, she accused the network of 'gaslighting' the public.
She complained about her time on the network being 'cut short' on Instagram, maintaining she had 'loved' her job.
'[It] really breaks my heart.'
Norman, seen here with former costar Gio Benitez, filmed her last week in April
Norman started at ABC News as an intern in 2011. She rose through the ranks at local affiliates in Missouri, Oklahoma, and Florida as a reporter and correspondent.
ABC News brought her on as a Washington-based reporter, and she eventually helped launch the second hour of Saturday’s 'GMA' in October 2019.
Norman also occasionally anchored the network's streaming news channel, ABC News Live, on weekends.
The Daily Mail approached ABC News for comment.