The fiasco over at ABC with the embarrassing departure of the President of their News Division ahead of being fired is a perfect example of DEI hiring gone wrong. Kim Godwin, was first Black woman to lead a network news division. This was hailed as these things usually are are a "great first." However, by the time she left under pressure from her new boss, Debra O’Connell, mostly what the employees in the News Division felt was relief.
The main issue of discontent revolved around Godwin's "leadership style." Which appears to have been about giving her visibility instead of actual hands on management of the News Division which had devolved into dysfunction through lack of strong leadership. In my opinion, this is a problem with DEI hiring. Those selected to be the groundbreaking first of their kind probably aren't wrong to assume that their main function is to be a "hood ornament" representing the company's enlightened embrace of "diversity."
The problem comes in when the bosses actually expect the person to perform the job. Godwin apparently could not or would not make the adjustment. And so key positions in the News room remained vacant. Staff jealousies were allowed to fester. Morale dropped. And the bottom line was affected.
Then the problem becomes what to do about the situation without being the first company to fire the first diversity executive. In Godwin's case, it was to bring in O'Connell to shore her up. But, Godwin saw this additional layer for what it was. An affront to her independence and a visible crutch that undermined her authority and the aura of leadership she wanted to project.
According to reports, the final straw for Godwin was when she reacted to the reduction in rank by bad mouthing O'Connell to the employees. This got back to O'Connell and top brass and led to negotiations with Godwin for a golden parachute. The amount of that parachute is no doubt a company secret, but apparently it was sufficient for the 60 year old Godwin to retire from the news business.
Inevitably, in the wake of Godwin's resignation the issue of race swirled around the event. The usual complaint from DEI advocates when one of their own is unsuccessful is that they were measured by different standards because of their gender or race. You see that with how Kamala Harris's defenders explain why she has such bad press and low approval ratings. Not to say that women sometimes do get measured on things men don't such as physical appearance or perceived stridency. But, in many cases, the superficial complaints overlay a real lack of preparation or talent on the part of the DEI hire. And that, in the final analysis, is the problem with hiring someone to be a "hood ornament" and expecting them to also excel in the meat and potatoes functions of the job.
The moral of this story to me is, If you want to be the Jackie Robinson of Cable News, then it helps if you can actually play ball.
