The editor of the Sydney Morning Herald, Bevan Shields, has resigned after four years and will be replaced in the role at Nine’s Sydney masthead by Jordan Baker, the chief reporter.
Shields told staff in an email the job had been the “honour of my life” and he would return as a senior writer after a break.
“The time has come for me to focus on my health and wellbeing, and to think about the next chapter in my career,” Shields said.
“I would like to thank you all for the privilege of being your editor.”
In the internal announcement, Luke McIlveen, the executive editor of Nine’s metro mastheads, credited Shields with achievements including the establishment of a Parramatta bureau and multiple industry awards.
“Bevan has worked incredibly hard to ensure the Herald’s ongoing success, and I’d like to thank him for his dedication and commitment to the Herald and our readers,” McIlveen said.
“The Herald has doubled down on its coverage of state politics, education, transport, the health system, and significantly expanded its investigations team.”
McIlveen said Baker is a linchpin of the Herald newsroom and would formally take up the role early in the new year.
A former European correspondent, Shields replaced Lisa Davies, who resigned abruptly in 2021 after five years in the role.
He began his career as a health reporter for the Illawarra Mercury before joining the Herald and was federal editor and Canberra bureau chief for the mastheads before a two-year stint in Europe.
Baker joined the Herald in 2005 and has been the paper’s education editor and crime and transport reporter.
She was previously the news editor of the Australian Women’s Weekly and assistant editor and senior writer for the Sunday Telegraph.
She began her career at AAP in the federal parliamentary press gallery.