ABC News President Kim Godwin announced on Sunday that she had resigned from her position and will be retiring from the broadcast media industry effective immediately, citing loss of her “management autonomy” at the network.
When she was hired by ABC News in 2021, Godwin, who was previously the executive for development and diversity at CBS News, became the first Black person to run the news division of a major network. Despite the celebration surrounding her hiring, her time as the head of ABC News was fraught with difficulties and contentious disagreements about leadership style.
“I have decided to retire from broadcast journalism,” Godwin said in a company email reviewed by the Wall Street Journal. “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.”
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According to network sources, Godwin’s tendency to make “swift moves” began to “alienate staffers” within the newsroom’s “cutthroat and toxic culture.” She also faced backlash for handling the extramarital affair between “Good Morning America” co-hosts Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes.
ABC News eventually accused her internally of incompetent leadership. In February, the network restructured to give Disney Networks President Debra O’Connell a supervisory role, and she was reportedly appalled by Godwin’s management methods. However, ABC’s concerns about “representation” kept them from outright firing Godwin at the time.
“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 News at the time. “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.”
Nevertheless, Godwin reportedly bristled at the additional scrutiny and complained about being micromanaged, which likely contributed to her resignation. Her successor has not yet been appointed.
Following her announcement, former President Donald Trump celebrated Godwin’s departure via Truth Social.
“Happy to report that Kim Godwin, Head of ABC, has resigned,” he wrote. “Could it be the unfair reporting on EVERYTHING TRUMP? In any event, GOOD RIDDANCE! Hopefully somebody else will be able to control George Slopadopolous and the rest of the Fake News Thugs over at ABC? Best wishes Kim!”
Happy to report that Kim Godwin, Head of ABC, has resigned. Could it be the unfair reporting on EVERYTHING TRUMP? In any event, GOOD RIDDANCE! Hopefully somebody else will be able to control George Slopadopolous and the rest of the Fake News Thugs over at ABC? Best wishes Kim!…
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) May 6, 2024
Connor Walcott is a staff writer for Valuetainment.com. Follow Connor on X and look for him on VT’s “The Unusual Suspects.”
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