ABC News Chief Justin Stevens Resigns After Boss Secretly Selected Successor Without Informing Him
Hugh Marks said Stevens left before learning the ABC had already chosen Reuters’ Simon Robinson as his replacement. The broadcaster announced Robinson’s appointment the day after Stevens informed staff.
The Sydney Morning HeraldJustin Stevens resigned as ABC news chief on May 27 after disagreeing with managing director Hugh Marks over the future direction of the public broadcaster’s news division. Stevens had been on leave for nearly a week before informing staff. Marks told Radio National Breakfast on Tuesday that the resignation was inevitable once the two could not agree on how the newsroom should adapt to reduced resources while adding new formats.
Marks said he had already begun formal and informal meetings with potential replacements before Stevens resigned. The ABC had engaged recruitment firm Hourigan and decided to appoint Reuters’ Simon Robinson as the next news director without informing Stevens. “No, that wasn’t a discussion we had,” Marks said when asked whether he told Stevens a successor search was underway.
Stevens officially notified staff of his departure on May 27. Robinson was announced as his successor the following day. Marks described Robinson’s background, noting he had worked in conflict zones, at Time magazine, and later managed 2,000 journalists at Reuters as executive editor and deputy editor-in-chief.
Days after the appointment, the ABC announced that Robinson’s Reuters colleague, global editor-in-chief Alessandra Galloni, will deliver this year’s Andrew Olle Lecture. Marks also addressed criticism of former Australian of the Year Grace Tame’s four-part podcast series Autistic AF.
” An ABC spokesperson said on Thursday that Pickering’s comments did not breach the broadcaster’s public comment guidelines, a position Marks reaffirmed.
“I think we felt comfortable that we were able to accept that his comments weren’t a breach of the ABC code of conduct,” Marks said. Marks defended the Tame podcast, saying it addressed a topic of real interest and importance to many Australians, particularly young women.
He acknowledged that working with some contributors can involve controversy but said the ABC must balance strong content with occasional public debate.
