ABC News president Kim Godwin steps down after reports of turmoil at the network
After viral reports over tension within the network, ABC News president Kim Godwin will be stepping down.
In an email sent out to staff on Sunday night, Godwin announced that she would be retiring from her position after being appointed in 2021.
“I have decided to retire from broadcast journalism,” Godwin said in the email obtained by Fox News Digital.
She continued, “Anyone who’s passionate about what we do knows there’s no other business like it, so this was not an easy or quick decision. But after considerable reflection, I’m certain it’s the right one for me as I look to the future and prioritize what’s most important for me and my family.”
Godwin also praised the network for hiring her as the first Black woman to head a national news network.
“I understood and appreciated the profound significance of being the first Black woman to lead a national broadcast news network when I accepted the role as president of ABC News a little over three years ago. It’s both a privilege and a debt to those who chipped away at the ceiling before me to lead a team whose brand is synonymous with trust, integrity and a dogged determination to be the best in the business,” she said.
Disney Networks president Debra OConnell also sent out a statement thanking Godwin for her work.
“Dana and I would like to take this opportunity to express our deepest gratitude to Kim for her service as president of ABC News. Kim has navigated this team through consequential times in our world, and she did so with respect for the brand and profession – and for that and more, we thank her,” OConnell wrote.
OConnell also stated that she would be heading up the ABC News division as they move through this “period of transition.”
Godwin reportedly faced internal backlash at the network over her leadership style, as frustrated insiders at ABC argued OConnell needed to take action.
“She has to take swift moves,” a person close to ABC’s internal operations told CNN of OConnell. “People there are restless. They are extremely frustrated.”
Several ABC News staffers also told CNN that Godwin had made several prominent mistakes, including the creation of an inner circle that has “alienated staffers,” according to the report.
Godwin has also privately complained of being micromanaged by OConnell, according to Puck News. The outlet reported that in conversations with several current ABC News employees, that “representation” and the fact that Godwin is the first Black woman to head a broadcast news division, had become the obvious, underlying problem in any discussions about the future of the company, and her possible firing.
“Race in the workplace is so nuanced that it can be easily weaponized by all sides and bad actors of any race,” a Black ABC News veteran told Puck.
“Disney fell into the trap of the soft bigotry of low expectations and appointed someone everyone knows is unqualified to do the job… Now [they] are worried that firing the first Black woman would be an act of racism, when she is simply bad at her job,” the person continued.