ABC hires SMH’s Linton Besser as part of expansion of reporting team
Linton Besser, one of The Sydney Morning Herald’s top investigative journalists, is to join the ABC’s national reporting team.
The appointment, is one of a number of senior appointments to the team announced this afternoon, and also sees the public broadcaster hire Courier Mail investigative reporter Mark Solomons, The Age’s crime editor Daniel Oakes, Seven senior producer Andrea Jonson and TVNZ producer Dale Owens.
The expansion in its reporting team follows a $10m increase in the ABC’s budget in February. This funding boost saw the ABC create the national reporting team which is led by Jo Puccini, a former associate producer with 7.30, Lateline and Four Corners. She is also a former EP of Media Watch.
Other internal appointments, who will be joining the reporting team, include Mark Willacy, Trevor Bormann and Alison McClymont.
‘The new team will quickly become a vital part of ABC News output across the country,’ says Kate Torney, the ABC’s director of news.
“I welcome all the new recruits and the opportunity this presents to deliver even more original and important journalism to ABC audiences everywhere.”
The full ABC national reporting team is listed below:
- Editor: Jo Puccini (from ABC 7.30P)
- Coordinating Producer: Pip Quinn (ABC Newsgathering Desk)
- Production Manager: Kylene Anderson (external hire)
- Brisbane Reporter: Mark Willacy (from ABC Tokyo)
- Brisbane Producer: Mark Solomons (from Courier Mail)
- Sydney Reporters: Trevor Bormann (from ABC Foreign Correspondent)
- Linton Besser (from Sydney Morning Herald)
- Sydney Producers: Alison McClymont (from ABC Radio Current Affairs)
- Andrea Jonson (from BBC/Channel 7)
- Melbourne Reporter: Daniel Oakes (from The Age)
- Melbourne Producer: Sam Clark (from Channel Ten’s The Project)
- Perth Producer: Dale Owens (from TVNZ’s Sunday)
- Darwin Reporter: Michael Coggan (from ABC Darwin)
- Defence & Nat Sec: Michael Brissenden
- Health: Sophie Scott
- Technology: Jake Sturmer
- Arts: Anne Maria Nicholson
- Social Affairs: Sally Sara
- Finance: Phil Lasker
- Rural & Regional: Peter Lewis
- Consumer Affairs: Amy Bainbridge
- Resources: Sue Lannin
- Researchers: Alison Branley (from Newcastle Herald)
- Suzanne Dredge (from Koori Radio)
