ABC News executive editor Stacia Deshishku quits after exit of boss Kim Godwin
NY Post
The exodus of top-flight executives at ABC News continued apace this week as Stacia Deshishku, executive editor at the Walt Disney-owned television news division, announced that she was stepping down.
“I’ve been fortunate that my career has always felt like a calling,” Deshishku wrote in draft memo to staffers whose contents were reported by The Washington Post.
“My run has been nothing short of extraordinary and I leave with a deep appreciation for the stories I’ve been privileged to help tell.”
Last month, Deshishku’s boss, ABC News President Kim Godwin, announced her resignation — a development that was expected by newsroom observers following Disney’s decision to effectively demote her by promoting a longtime executive, Debra OConnell, to oversee the news division.
Disney’s decision to carve out a new role for OConnell marked the beginning of the end for Godwin and her top assistants, among them Deshishku.
As previously reported by The Post in March, Deshishku was among the Godwin lieutenants who were seen as skating on thin ice, even as Godwin insisted to staffers she was “still in charge” despite her demotion.
