Over the past week, Mediaite has spoken to several ABC News employees in D.C. and New York, as well as This Week Executive Producer Ian Cameron about the shock and disappointment by some over the decision to hire an outsider for the This Week anchor gig in the midst of major cuts at ABC. One employee said that while “the initial shock is gone,” many at ABC “don’t know what to make” of the Amanpour hire, and are still in the dark about what the show will be. Another said staffers were “furious” that ABC execs went outside rather than promoting one of their many in house political correspondents…
While Amanpour’s This Week is up in the air, Jake Tapper’s This Week is, interestingly, taking a very solid form. Tapper was a front-runner for the role (and “obviously wanted the job” says one employee), and was named as permanent replacement until Amanpour takes over. This Tapper version has made several key changes in just a few short weeks. There is now live tweeting during the show, using the resources and talent within the D.C. bureau, and a popular fact-checking partnership launched Sunday with Politifact.
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