Latest 'World News' Anchor David Muir Swears: I'll 'Laser in on What's Truly Important'

September 2nd, 2014 4:45 PM

World News Tonight anchor David Muir, who debuted in his role on Monday night, swears that under his tenure the program will focus on serious topics. ABC News in general has been drifting in a tabloid, content-free direction. But in an interview with Politico, the anchor insisted, "I think that at 6:30, we just have an even greater responsibility to laser in on what’s truly important about the headlines that have been hitting you all day long.”

Asked to differentiate himself from predecessor Diane Sawyer, Muir responded, "It’s the same music, same graphics, and, quite frankly, the same guy who has been filling in for quite some time." The host did add that he hoped to continue reporting live from various hot spots. Nightline, an ABC News show has conducted a multi-month boycott of ObamaCare news.

Instead, that program hyped salacious stories, such as "bootleg butt injections." 

The insistence that hard news will be covered is a familiar refrain for ABC anchors. Yet, it doesn't seem to happen. On November 14, 2011, Good Morning America co-host Robin Roberts lamented the tabloid shift of her program: "I’ll be honest, it’s been an adjustment for me, the lighter fare...I want to be No. 1. I don’t want to sell my soul to the devil to be No. 1."

In April of 2014, the New York Post reported that GMA co-host George Stephanopoulos was frustrated with the superficial tone of the show. 

Monday, Muir's debut, featured a full report on what the first day of school is like for children. "I still remember my first day of kindergarten," he breathlessly informed. 

For a recap of Muir's most over-the-top examples of liberal bias, go here.