Lenore Taylor resigns as Guardian Australia editor after 10 years of leadership | Australian media
Guardian Australia editor-in-chief Lenore Taylor has resigned after 10 years in the role, taking the fledgling news organization from a small start-up to the fourth most read news site in the country.
Taylor joined global media organization Guardian News Media in 2013 as the founding political editor of its new Australia initiative, rising to editor-in-chief in 2016.
Taylor, a former Sydney Morning Herald political journalist, was hired as deputy political editor by then Guardian Australia editor-in-chief Katharine Viner and her press gallery colleague Katharine Murphy of the Age.
Viner, the Guardian’s global editor-in-chief, said Taylor had made the organisation’s Australian arm “a force to be reckoned with, sometimes through sheer force of will”.
“His hard work, dedication, editorial rigor and political insight helped deliver journalism that set the national agenda and earned the great admiration of our ever-expanding audience,” Viner said.
“It leaves Guardian Australia well positioned to move into the next phase of its evolution, both as a separate edition and as a key part of the Guardian’s global operation. I would like to thank Lenore for her tremendous contribution to Guardian Australia over the last 13 years.”
Taylor has overseen the news site’s rapid growth in both influence and reach, as well as podcasts, videos and social media. It currently employs 140 editorial staff nationwide and is supported by reader contributions and advertising.
Under Taylor’s leadership, Guardian Australia has won 12 Walkley Awards for its reporting on the environment, politics, social affairs, Indigenous issues and commentary.
According to the latest information Ipsos Iris According to news rankings, Guardian Australia is the fourth most read news website in the country, with a unique audience of 8.4 million, ahead of established imprints such as the Sydney Morning Herald, Age and Australian.
Taylor stated that he had been thinking about this decision for a while and said that 10 years is a long time in a challenging job.
“But there was always another challenge, another big story, or another reason to postpone it,” he said. “There’s always the next thing in a job that’s incredibly exciting and tiring, but it’s also incredibly tiring.
“When I started as editor, the most common feedback I heard from readers was: ‘Thank goodness the Guardian has come to Australia.’ The thing I hear most often these days is: ‘I can’t imagine Australia without Guardian.’ I can’t either.
Taylor won two Walkley awards for journalism and twice received the Paul Lyneham award for excellence in press gallery journalism.
She is the country’s longest-serving newspaper or news website editor and the longest-serving female editor-in-chief in Australia.
David Munk, the Guardian’s senior editor-in-chief in London, will become acting editor, while Viner will conduct an open process to appoint a new editor. Munk is the former deputy editor of Guardian Australia.
