• Some ABC News staff were in tears on Thursday after layoffs of respected news veterans.
• Insiders said there have been investigations of information leaks at the network. 
• Kim Godwin has made positive changes as ABC News president and has faced a string of complex situations.  

ABC News staffers are in shock over the departure of multiple senior-level colleagues, most notably Wendy Fisher, SVP news gathering. The shakeup comes as part of an overall Disney initiative to eliminate 7,000 positions. ABC News alone lost 50 staffers on Thursday as part of the slim-down and a leadership reorganization by division President Kim Godwin. 

Fisher essentially ran the newsroom, multiple executives said, where she started as a desk assistant in 1989. The sources said staff were in tears watching her leave Thursday and were upset about how the layoffs were handled, saying that previous news division leaders would have organized a quiet send-off. 

Instead, staff affected by layoffs left that day, according to people familiar with the network. "Wendy was an honest broker and a hard-charging news executive," said one news industry insider who was stunned at her departure.  

Layoffs hit "top dogs first," this person added, suggesting there will be more junior staff impacted by a second wave of cuts, which are still to come. Disney CEO Bob Iger wrote in a memo Monday that this week's layoffs — which affected TV execs, engineers, and the Disney metaverse team along with ABC news — would be followed in the coming weeks by two other tranches.

"It's turmoil," the source continued. "Everyone is evaluating where they stand and whether they want to be there." 

A second ABC News insider said it was unprecedented to dismiss longtime veterans in such a manner. "They feel outraged, insulted, and disrespected by the way it was handled," said this person, adding that there have been investigations over leaks over the past few months, which was confirmed by a third person with inside knowledge of ABC News.

Some execs took their layoffs in stride, while others were upset and angry, said this third person, who also told Insider that Fisher had been subject to a human resources investigation. This was also reported Friday by Puck, which added that more than 10 sources said they'd never known of formal complaints against Fisher in her decades at ABC. Insider's sources likewise spoke of Fisher as a respected journalist and leader. Fisher could not immediately be reached for comment.

Thursday's departures also included Galen Gordon, an SVP in charge of talent who was close to former "GMA3" coanchors T.J. Holmes and Amy Robach, who were axed in January after it was revealed that they were in a relationship. 

The head of ABC News investigations, Chris Vlasto, also departed. The first insider observed that Vlasto's exit, combined with the departure last year of Matthew Mosk to CBS News, had weakened the ABC investigative unit. The departure in January of ABC News White House correspondent Cecilia Vega for CBS' "60 Minutes," was also a blow. 

Last year, investigative reporter James Gordon Meeks resigned abruptly from ABC News after the FBI raided his home. In February, he was charged with distribution of child pornography; Rolling Stone had written about his exit. 

Heather Riley, a former communications executive who shifted over to political programming and reported to Fisher, was also part of layoffs. Riley was tasked with developing shows for Hulu as well as ABC linear and streaming, and worked closely with George Stephanopoulos. 

Carrie Cook, who was with the network news division for the past 28 years, has also departed. Cook had been working on projects for Hulu, according to a source familiar with the unit. Cook was executive producer at ABC News Studios, a division that launched quietly in 2021 but made its official launch last June, according to an Adweek report. 

Godwin was named president of ABC News in April 2021, making her the first Black woman to run a major American network news division, but her tenure has been rocky. Just months into her new role, Godwin called for an independent investigation into allegations made against the departed Michael Corn, a former top "Good Morning America" producer who was slapped with a lawsuit alleging sex harassment, which he denied. The case was dismissed in 2022.

Godwin was also faulted for allowing Holmes and Robach, who were married to other people, to remain on air for two episodes of "GMA3" after their relationship became public — although officially the pair hadn't broken any major HR violations since they were at the same level of seniority and the relationship was consensual, leaving Godwin's hands tied for a period. 

Godwin recently delivered a controversial interview to Vanity Fair, where she said she didn't know who she reports to, explaining — perhaps too honestly — that there were leadership changes happening above her that were yet to be confirmed. She was also criticized for lack of discretion in the interview and for talking more about herself than her team. 

Despite these disruptions, ABC News programs have been performing well. "World News Tonight With David Muir" finished the first quarter of 2023 on top in both total audience and the 25-54 demo, according to a TV Newser report on Nielsen numbers. The network's "Good Morning America" led in overall viewership for the quarter but ceded the demo to NBC's "Today." 

While Godwin has taken knocks, she has also been busy pushing forward on new initiatives such as ABC News Studios whos projects include Hulu documentary "Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields," which headlined at Sundance. 

Godwin has also changed how stories are covered, making sure to keep reporters in Uvalde, Texas covering the aftermath of the mass shooting at a school there. In September, ABC News won eight Emmy awards, tying with Vice for the most top honors.