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In this March 24, 2012 photo, Diane Sawyer attends Aretha Franklin's seventieth birthday party in New York. Sawyer is stepping down as its evening news anchor, to be replaced by David Muir. The network said Sawyer will concentrate on interviews and specials. During her tenure, ABC’s “World News” was a steady second to Brian Williams at NBC, although the ABC broadcast has made gains among younger viewers. (AP Photo/Charles Sykes) Image Credit: AP

ABC News has said star journalist Diane Sawyer is stepping down from anchoring its flagship evening news show ABC World News to focus on television specials.

Sawyer will be replaced by David Muir from September 2. He is currently the anchor of current affairs show 20/20, the Walt Disney Co-owned broadcaster said in a statement.

ABC also said George Stephanopoulos, a former White House spokesman during the Clinton administration, would leave Good Morning America to become chief anchor of ABC News, handling special reports and breaking news.

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This image released by ABC News shows, from left, David Muir, George Stephanopoulos, Diane Sawyer and ABC News President James Goldston on Wednesday, June 25, 2014, in New York. Sawyer is stepping down as its evening news anchor, to be replaced by David Muir. Image Credit: AP
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