Kate de Brito to exit as editor-in-chief of news.com.au at end of year
Kate de Brito has decided to finish up as editor-in-chief of news.com.au at the end of 2020 after four years in the position, Mumbrella can reveal.
De Brito returned to News Corp in October 2016 from Mamamia, where she spent a year as editor-in-chief following Jamila Rizvi’s departure.
She will also be stepping down as editor-in-chief of Kidspot, while Mel Wilson will remain editor.
Before joining Mamamia, de Brito was head of digital at News Corp’s editorial network, and news editor of news.com.au.
News Corp Australasia’s executive chair, Michael Miller, confirmed the news in an email to staff last week, in which he said: “I am pleased to say Kate will continue to lead Australia’s number one commercial news site until the end of the year to ensure a smooth transition to a new editor-in-chief.
“Under Kate’s leadership, news.com.au has grown into a fast-moving, driving force in the Australian news landscape. I thank and congratulate Kate on her contribution and the news.com.au team for their extraordinary energy and focus.”
In Nielsen’s most recent digital content Ratings (DCR), news.com.au increased its unique audience by 0.4%, and remained in second position, behind ABC News (which has led the rankings since January in response to its bushfire and COVID-19 coverage).
“You know as well as I do that the numbers have always mattered to us, we love to compete in the market and of course the financial dollars are hugely important – they’re what keep the business running,” de Brito told Mumbrella earlier this year.
“But we have to just keep going with what we’ve got in front of us for the time being and stay as safe and as sane as we can.”
As at September, Australians had spent 9% more time reading news content online in 2020 than they did across the entirety of 2019.
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Brittney Rigby was Mumbrella's deputy managing editor - news and analysis. She left Mumbrella in April 2021.
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