Simon Robinson Set to Replace Justin Stevens — Senate Estimates Live
senate estimates live turned to the ABC’s newsroom leadership on Thursday, where Hugh Marks was asked why Justin Stevens had resigned and said Simon Robinson is expected to take over in coming days. Stevens stepped down on Wednesday after four years as news director, with the change taking effect immediately.
The move would place Robinson in charge of about 2,000 staff across the ABC’s news division. Marks said Stevens had felt it was time to move on, and the broadcaster now wants to refresh its output.
Hugh Marks at senate estimates
Marks told senate estimates that Stevens had decided the timing was right to leave. He said: “Stevens felt, you know, it was the right time for him to move on and pursue other careers, and I think it’s an opportunity, obviously, for the ABC to enter into a new phase of operations, where we look to, you know, refresh and rejuvenate our output for what might be, you know, the next 20 years to make sure that we’re future fit for the fit for the future”.
On Wednesday, Marks also said: “I am grateful to have seen the strength of Justin’s editorial instincts and to have observed his commitment to the ABC and audiences”. That sits alongside the immediate resignation, which left the organisation moving quickly toward a successor.
Simon Robinson at
Robinson has spent 16 years at and is currently deputy to the editor in chief of the 2,600 strong newsroom. He began his career at Time Inc in Sydney as a fact checker on Who Weekly, then worked overseas for Time as a correspondent, bureau chief and editor.
That background points to a newsroom operator rather than a pure broadcaster executive, and the ABC is turning to him as it looks to run a division of 2,000 journalists across the country. For staff inside the news division, the immediate change is not a new policy memo but a new top editor.
Justin Stevens leaves ABC News
In his farewell email on Wednesday, Stevens wrote: “There is no more complex news organisation in the country, no more scrutinised institution, and few so laden with public expectations.” He also said: “In that context, I have sought to strengthen and defend our journalism without being blind to our stumbles; to meet the state of constant change in the digital age; and to improve our culture in News to one where we hold ourselves to the same standards as we do of others in the broader community.”
That leaves the ABC with a leadership handover that is already under way. The next step is Robinson’s appointment in coming days, after which the broadcaster will begin the refresh Marks described at senate estimates.
