David Munk appointed editor of Guardian Australia

Former deputy editor steps up to replace Lenore Taylor, who resigned in February

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The former deputy editor of Guardian Australia David Munk has been appointed to lead the publication, Guardian News and Media has announced.

Munk spent five years as international news editor in Australia and another five as deputy editor under Lenore Taylor, who resigned in February after a decade at the helm.

He has also held senior positions at the Guardian in the UK.

Under Taylor and Munk’s leadership Guardian Australia cemented its position as a new progressive voice in the media landscape, breaking new ground in political, environmental and Indigenous reporting and winning multiple industry awards.

Guardian Australia was the fourth most-read news site in the country in the latest Ipsos Iris news ranking with a unique audience of 7.4 million, ahead of established newspaper mastheads the Sydney Morning Herald, the Age and the Australian.

The editor-in-chief of Guardian News and Media, Katharine Viner, said Munk would build on Guardian Australia’s success.

“David has a deep understanding of both the Guardian and Australia, and brings great verve, creativity, openness and commitment to his work,” Viner said.

“I’ve no doubt that he will continue to build on Guardian Australia’s many successes.”

A former deputy foreign editor at the Guardian in the UK and head of world news at the UK Daily and Sunday Telegraph, Munk said he was delighted to have been given the chance to lead Guardian Australia.

“From small beginnings, the Guardian is now such an important part of Australian society as well as its fast-changing media landscape,” Munk said.

“Thanks to three brilliant previous editors we have built something special across the land and I will make it my mission to ensure we continue to give our readers, viewers and listeners the courageous, groundbreaking and – crucially – independent journalism they have come to expect from our amazing staff.”

Munk, who joined the Guardian Australia newsroom in its second year, becomes the fourth editor of the title. It was launched under Viner in 2013 and Taylor replaced Emily Wilson in 2016 after three years as political editor in Canberra.

Guardian Australia employs 140 editorial staff across bureaus in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Canberra, and is supported by reader contributions and advertising.

Munk returned to Sydney in February as acting editor after a stint as senior managing editor of the Guardian in London.