Commenting on the appointments, Katharine Viner, editor-in-chief of Guardian Australia, said: “Lenore is one of the most respected journalists in the country, who consistently breaks agenda-setting stories. Katharine is one of the most innovative political journalists in Australia, with her daily liveblog and 'open' approach. They both bring great experience to their roles, which will be invaluable in this election year. They will be a huge asset to Guardian Australia”.
With a global digital audience of 39 million unique users per month, the Guardian is the third largest newspaper website in the world. Guardian Australia, which will launch in the coming weeks, will build on the lively commentary, on-the-ground reporting and ground-breaking open journalism that, with 1.3 million unique users already, has made Australia the Guardian’s fourth largest market, according to the Guardian.
Lenore Taylor, currently chief political correspondent of the Sydney Morning Herald, said: “I am proud to be part of a new voice in the Australian media, combining the Guardian's commitment to quality reporting with its innovative digital journalism.”
Katharine Murphy, currently national affairs correspondent of the Melbourne Age, said: “The Guardian is one of the world's pre-eminent news organisations and it has taken the values of quality journalism into the digital space. It is a great thrill for me to be joining Guardian Australia from its beginning.”
Last month, the Guardian confirmed that Paul Chadwick, the outgoing director of editorial policies at the ABC, will become a non-executive director of the Guardian’s Australian entity. Graeme Wood, the entrepreneur founder of travel website ‘wotif’ and chair of the news and feature website The Global Mail, will be a founding investor.
