This week it was announced that ABC News President Kim Godwin would be stepping down from her position later this summer and retiring completely from broadcasting. The reaction felt by many inside the network was, “Finally.” Godwin has had a tumultuous three years or so at the helm, and speculation has long been that she needed to go, but there has been a hesitancy at the network to make the move.

The reasons for this timid approach to what many felt was a needed move seem rooted in a self-created atmosphere where ABC - owned as it is by the Disney Company - was hemmed in by the very politically correct parameters it sets up for itself. While it cannot be stated that Godwin had been a DEI hire, there are some of those aspects of the diversity movement that trapped the company.

When Godwin was hired just over three years ago, she was highly touted as the first black female to head up a broadcast network news division. It is no surprise to see such a move from an outlet owned by Disney, a company that has been steeped in woke culture for some time now. The problem is that making this the focus set the foundation that this is the defining aspect of her tenure. When the demographics of the individual are more prominent than their performance, addressing the faults becomes a minefield. As a result, when you are placed in a position to remove someone due to their performance, it becomes problematic that you want to remove a POC president, as in this case.

Godwin’s tenure has long been steeped in controversy, and many working within ABC News have had the sense that she needed to be replaced. Godwin has been notably reported to be something of an absentee figurehead at times by not showing herself to be plugged into prominent operations inside the network. When Disney was making layoffs last year Godwin used this as a chance to remove old-guard names she regarded dismissively. 

One of those dismissed was Head of Talent Galen Gordon, yet after more than a year that position remains unfilled. Last month Jonathan Greenberger, who was ABC News Washington Bureau Chief, recently departed for Politico – yet despite a looming general election there were no moves made to replace his position. Then there was her extravagance. Amid those layoffs and corporate belt-tightening, Godwin was jetting first class to events such as the Oscars, hitting up expense accounts with wardrobe and makeup charges along the way.

These and many other management and operational issues and missteps have made it clear for some time that a change needed to be made – but the network was somewhat paralyzed out of concerns that firing a black executive would lead to negative optics and outrage. Instead, it was attempted to coax Godwin into stepping down, but she resisted. 

DEI dies....

A rare victory for competence, or at least a defeat for box-checking incompetence.

Embattled ABC News President Kim Godwin steps down: sources https://t.co/JxCRxsMu5B via @nypost

— Howie Carr (@HowieCarrShow) May 6, 2024

By all appearances, steps were then taken to assuage Godwin and to grease the skids for her imminent exit. In February a dual announcement was made: ABC News extended Godwin’s contract - seen as a measure of appeasement - and at the same time demoted her in a fashion, by placing network executive Debra O’Connell in a superior position over Godwin. These are actions taken when the network becomes gunshy to directly fire a prominent black figure, something exposed by another display; the network was facing backlash from black staffers, defending Godwin from criticism.

This move to insert O’Connell both rankled the News Division head and exposed her problems. O’Connell had been discovering more issues since that time, and following a recent meeting where Godwin expressed some unsettling opinions - such as declaring that black people do not watch the news - it became clear the time for her to depart had arrived. 

Now the network is entirely in a state of flux and repair. The news division is in tatters, and while it leads in ratings in two key areas – “World News Tonight With David Muir”, and “Good Morning America” - those are shallow victories, in the age of people walking away from broadcast television. For example, “GMA” has a razor-thin lead over “The Today Show”, and last week’s audience of nearly 2.7 million viewers is nearly half as much as it had been when it moved ahead of the morning shows in 2013.

Now the news division is in a desperate rebuilding mode, just as it needs to be in prime position for an election year run. ABC News has become hobbled in its ability to cover the national political scene, all because identity politics had been the priority.