ABC News trades pans for plans.

NEW YORK It's been a long, hot summer at ABC News, with the division frequently making headlines as often as reporting them.

But in an effort to put the scuttlebutt behind them, ABC News toppers are shuffling personnel, shifting editorial focus and trying to whip signature programs -- like "20/20" -- back into shape.

Indeed, it was a "20/20" report that gave ABC News one of its midsummer Maalox moments, when John Stossel was forced to explain himself on-air for misreporting facts in a rerun of a Feb. 4 report on organic food.

Then, the New Yorker published a scathing attack on the troubled three-year reign of ABC News prexy David Westin.

The article -- much buzzed about in media circles -- alleged that Westin himself actually leaked the memo meant to defend ABC News over its hiring of Leonardo DiCaprio to interview President Clinton about environmental matters, then feigned anger over the so-called leak when it backfired.

Paid in full

The New Yorker also revealed that ABC News had paid a …