News Corp appoints new editors for The Mercury and Townsville Bulletin
News Corp Australia has appointed Chris Jones as new editor of Hobart’s The Mercury, and Jenna Cairney as editor of the Townsville Bulletin.
Jones will take the helm of The Mercury after six months as executive editor of The Courier-Mail and Sunday Mail, while Cairney joins The Townsville Bulletin after three years as the Sunshine Coast Daily’s editor.
Jones is set to take over the helm of Hobart’s The Mercury
Jones and Cairney’s respective promotions come three weeks after the promotion of former The Mercury editor Matt Deighton, to editor of Adelaide’s The Advertiser, and former Townsville Bulletin editor Ben English, who has taken the helm of the Gold Coast Bulletin.
Cairney has been promoted to editor of the Townsville Bulletin
In a message to staff, Michael Miller, executive chairman at News Corp Australia said Jones and Cairney “reflect the continuing reinvigoration of [News Corp’s] newspaper brands” and the importance the company places on regional journalism.
“Both Jenna and Chris are the next generation of editorial leadership within our business. I am confident they will continue to evolve and enhance the role of these mastheads in their communities,” Miller said.
“Jenna is one of the newest members of News Corp, joining us from ARM when we acquired the regional Queensland newspapers in 2016. She was appointed editor of the Sunshine Coast Daily in 2014 and was named ARM Editor of the Year in 2015.
“Chris began his career as a news reporter with The Courier-Mail, then working across politics and business before moving into various senior editorial positions at The Courier-Mail and The Sunday Mail in Brisbane.”
In a story on The Mercury’s website, Jones wrote: “I’ve grown up at The Courier-Mail and Sunday Mail and so this move for me will be like leaving home — and it will be tough to say goodbye to some of the best people you’ll ever meet in journalism.
“But as tough as that might be, I’m honoured to be given this opportunity to make my new home at the Mercury — a masthead that under editor Matt Deighton really has lived up to its promise every day of being the voice of Tasmania.
“I’m also excited to be editing a newspaper in a forward-looking state that’s really coming of age, and my family also can’t wait to make their home in the beautiful city of Hobart.”
