Guardian Australia appoints a new political editor as parent company issues profit warning
Katherine Viner says Guardian group making a loss is a worry, but staff told not to panic
Guardian Australia has appointed Karen Middleton as political editor. She takes over the role from Katherine Murphy who has joined the staff of prime minister Anthony Albanese. The move coincides with a report the parent company has made a loss in the past year.
Middleton arrives from The Saturday Paper
Karen Middleton has covered federal politics for over 30 years as a reporter, analyst and commentator. She will join the Guardian from The Saturday Paper, where she has been chief political correspondent for the past eight years. Prior to that, she was chief political correspondent for SBS and political editor for The West Australian.
Middleton is also a regular panellist on ABC Insiders and is a commentator on Australian politics for several domestic and international outlets.
She is the author of two books, a biography of Anthony Albanese, Telling it Straight, and An Unwinnable War about Australia’s involvement in Afghanistan.
Middleton will join the Canberra office where she will oversee Guardian Australia’s political coverage.
Commenting on the new appointment, Guardian Australia editor Lenore Taylor said:
“Karen brings decades of experience, judgement, a significant record of news breaking and excellent analytical skills to Guardian Australia. I am delighted that she is joining our brilliant Canberra team.”
Karen Middleton added:
“I’m thrilled to be joining Guardian Australia after eight years with The Saturday Paper. It’s already a big year in politics and l look forward to working with the great team in Canberra to try and make sense of it all.”
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Katharine Viner
Guardian group reporting a loss
The London Sunday Times has reported the parent company of the Guardian is set to make a £39m ($75.5m) loss amid a slump in the digital advertising market.
Guardian staff were told last week the Scott Trust, the charitable organisation that owns the newspaper and its sister title The Observer, considers the current finances “beyond acceptable or sustainable”, sources said.
The publisher lost £36m in the last nine months of 2023 and is projecting a cash outflow of £39m by the end of the financial year next month. Katharine Viner, the editor-in-chief, is said to have told her troops they “should worry but not panic”.
