George Stephanopoulos Promoted To ABC News Chief Anchor, Diane Sawyer Steps Down

On Tuesday, news division President James Goldston announced that Diane Sawyer will be stepping down as a news anchor on ABC’s World News and will be replaced by David Muir. With Sawyer leaving, the...
George Stephanopoulos Promoted To ABC News Chief Anchor, Diane Sawyer Steps Down
Written by Val Powell
  • On Tuesday, news division President James Goldston announced that Diane Sawyer will be stepping down as a news anchor on ABC’s World News and will be replaced by David Muir. With Sawyer leaving, the TV network will be left with no female anchor in the evening news for the first time in almost 10 years.

    Sawyer, who has spent five years as an anchor on World News, will be stepping down in September. She will be concentrating on conducting major interviews and original reports. Muir, who is a co-host of ABC’s 20/20 will be the managing editor of World News starting September 2.

    “For many years to come, Diane will be a driving force at ABC News with her exceptional storytelling genius. She is one of the giants of modern journalism. Her curiosity, passion, and energy are unmatched, and I can’t wait to see where she’ll lead us next,” Goldston said.

    Although Muir got Sawyer’s chair, he will not be the chief anchor. ABC said that they are promoting George Stephanopoulos to chief anchor for ABC News. He will be in charge of handling all breaking news and special reports, aside from his duties on This Week and Good Morning America.

    The new arrangement is said to ignite a rivalry between Muir and Stephanopoulos. Reports said that Muir will not be satisfied with his new job as a “news reader.” As Sawyer’s replacement, many thought that he would get the chief anchor post, but Stephanopoulos made the chief anchor post one of the conditions on his long-term contract with ABC News.

    Goldston said in a statement, “We have an extraordinary team of anchors who are gifted storytellers and uniquely skilled broadcasters. For years to come, they will inspire us all to do our best work and set a high bar for excellence to inform, empower, and inspire our viewers.”

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