Holy Ethical Dilemma: What ‘20/20’ missed about Ashli Ford
Network left out her trail of felony convictions, upcoming fraud trial, and allegations of victim exploitation from Friday broadcast
MILAN, Ohio — On Friday night, millions of viewers tuned into ABC’s 20/20 to watch “The Secret in the Water.” They were introduced to Ashli Ford, a local podcaster portrayed as a tenacious seeker of justice who helped crack the 2001 homicide of Regina Rowe Hicks.
But for those who live in the communities Ford covers, the four-minute segment felt less like journalism and more like an editorial failure.
While correspondent Deborah Roberts allowed Ford to take a victory lap on a national stage, the network remained silent on a crucial detail: the “investigator” they were spotlighting is a convicted felon whose specialty, according to prosecutors, isn’t justice—it’s intimidation.
Vetting gap
The most glaring omission in the broadcast was Ford’s criminal history. ABC failed to mention that just last year, Ford was convicted on four felony counts of intimidation. These were not abstract crimes; they were directly related to her conduct as a self-described “journalist” and “advocate” using social media to threaten public officials.
The network also skipped over the fact that Ford is due in Erie County Common Pleas Court in just two weeks to face a new set of felony charges for fraud and forgery.
‘Clickbait’ vs. credibility
The 20/20 segment framed Ford as a catalyst for the Hicks case, but local investigators and victim families tell a different story.
