The ABC News anchor-away action around its nightly newscast has not exactly been good news. As Thursday’s New York Times front-page story reported, Charlie Gibson is vacating the “World News” anchor chair and “Good Morning America” empath Diane Sawyer is parachuting into it.

But it’s not a happy landing for Sawyer, thanks to David Westin, the president of ABC News. Here’s the drive-Diane-nuts-graf from the Times story:

Mr. Westin said in an interview that if he had had his way, none of this would be happening. He said he had tried to talk Mr. Gibson out of the decision and to give him some time to think it over.

“This was not a result I wanted,” Mr. Westin said.

All the gauze-cam shots in the world can’t make Sawyer look good in this scene.