ABC News Readies ’20/20′ Portrait of George Floyd
ABC News will offer a portrait of the life of George Floyd in a two-hour “20/20” slated to air April 23 at 9 p.m. eastern.
The program will feature interviews with Gianna Floyd, Floyd’s youngest daughter; friends and family of Floyd; Christopher Martin, the former store clerk who testified that he regretted taking the allegedly counterfeit $20 bill from Floyd; Maya Santamaria, the former nightclub owner who employed both Floyd and Chauvin; and Clarence Castile, uncle of Philando Castile.
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Many TV-news programs have responded to this week’s verdict finding police officer Derek Chauvin guilty of killing Floyd while he was in the custody of Minneapolis police last year. On Wednesday, all three of the broadcast-network morning shows had anchors and correspondents on the ground in Minneapolis. ABC News’ ‘The View,” for example has rescheduled some of the guests it had planned for this week in favor of talking to people associated with Floyd or the case.
“What you will see on Friday night is the culmination of a year’s worth of our ‘20/20’ team diving deep into this important cultural story, conducting interviews and constantly gathering reporting on who George Floyd was, coupled with historic breaking news moments captured by ABC News’ journalists across the division,” says Janice Johnston, executive producer of the ABC News newsmagazine. “It’s a true team effort.” The program is anchored by David Muir and Amy Robach.
The show will also report on the protests that started in the U.S. in response to Floyd’s death; the investigation into his death; the trial and the country’s reaction to the verdict. “20/20” will also examine what the verdict might mean for the nation.
“20/20” has enjoyed some ratings success as of late. In the first quarter of 2021, the program led competitors in overall viewers as well as in viewers between the ages of 25 and 54, the audience most coveted by advertisers in news programming.
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