Diane Sawyer To Leave ABC World News

Diane Sawyer To Leave ABC World News

Diane Sawyer is set to step down as “ABC World News” anchor but she will continue to work with the network for interviews and specials, according to James Goldston, president of ABC News.

The 68-year-old television journalist became a part of ABC in 1989 and has been the top anchor for nearly five years. David Muir will replace Sawyer in September. Muir is the weekend anchor of the network and worked on “20/20,” the news magazine show of ABC. Diane Sawyer will start her new role in the network before the end of summer.

Goldston said Diane made the decision to focus on dealing with big issues in a new way even as she loved bringing “World News” to new heights. She has been a giant of modern journalism and the network is eager to see what she has in store for the network, Goldston added.

Diane Sawyer was a White House press aide under President Richard Nixon. She also joined CBS news as a “60 Minutes” correspondent before joining ABC. The decision of Sawyer follows the retirement of Barbara Walters last May from ABC. Walters was given a series of tributes following her retirement from a career that lasted five decades.

Sawyer and Walters served as the pioneers for women in network television in the United States. Sawyer was a co-anchor for “Good Morning America” of ABC before she joined the evening news. She was able to conduct a number of interviews with numerous world leaders, including President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran.

Goldston also announced that George Stephanopoulos will be given a promotion as chief anchor of ABC News while maintaining his role as host of “Good Morning America.” Stephanopoulos was an author and professor before he joined the network. Goldston made the announcement together with the statement that Diane Sawyer will step down as “World News” anchor.

Posted by Kade Quinn on Thursday June 26 2014, 3:31 AM EST. Ref: Reuters. Link. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Entertainment, Featured News. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0