ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos reportedly is at the head of the line of high-profile journalists who've been in fierce competition to score the first interview with Ferguson, Missouri, police officer Darren Wilson.
Politico, citing unnamed industry sources, said the network's chief anchor and political correspondent had won the rights – a decision that was relayed to others vying for the assignment.
Wilson shot and killed an unarmed Michael Brown, 18, Aug. 9, and though he testified before
the grand jury that heard the case, he has not been seen in public since the shooting that triggered weeks of turmoil and protests.
CNN's Brian Stelter reported Sunday that high-profile news anchors had been meeting secretly with Wilson to land an exclusive.
"I'm going to let you in on a secret," Stelter said on the network's
"Reliable Sources" program.
"Some high-profile news anchors have met Wilson. They've talked with him one-on-one in secret locations entirely off the record — all in the hopes of landing his very first television interview."
Stephanopoulos, NBC's Matt Lauer, CBS' Scott Pelley and CNN's Anderson Cooper and Don Lemon all met separately with Wilson, and CBS' "60 Minutes" had been in "especially hot pursuit" of locking down the interview, according to Stelter's report.
But other reports said Wilson will give a statement on Fox News Channel as the grand jury decision against him is released.
Megyn Kelly, host of
"The Kelly File," told fellow Fox News host Bill O'Reilly on Monday that Wilson is "expected" to make a statement on her show.
O'Reilly noted that Kelly wouldn't say it was expected if it wasn't going to happen, and asked whether Wilson had indicated whether he already knew the outcome.
Kelly said he did not.
ABC News spokeswoman Julie Townsend didn't respond to Politico's request for comment on the pick for the Wilson sit-down.
Wilson has reportedly been in talks
to resign his position on the force.
The officer,
who married his girlfriend on Oct. 24, has reportedly told CNN he didn't want to quit the force while the grand jury was still deliberating because he didn't want it to appear he was admitting guilt. He has declared his innocence from the start.
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