Currently based in London, Robinson is deputy to the editor-in-chief at news service Reuters. He has been with the organisation for 16 years, holding a number of senior roles.<\/p>\n
Robinson began his career as a reporter and fact-checker with Who Weekly in Sydney, before spending 15 years at Time where he worked as a correspondent, bureau chief and editor.<\/p>\n
In his LinkedIn biography, Robinson said he had “years of experience as a newsroom leader and working on strategy”.<\/p>\n
“I can reshape a news story or transform an organisation alike,” he said.<\/p>\n
“As the deputy to Reuters editor-in-chief, I help manage a newsroom of 2,600 professionals and spearhead our digital and publishing initiatives which help shape news seen by billions of people around the world every day.”<\/p>\n
In a statement to the ABC, Robinson said he was “thrilled and honoured to be named the ABC’s director of news and current affairs”.<\/p>\n
“As a passionate believer in the power of fact-based, independent journalism, I believe the ABC plays a pivotal role in providing Australians with the reliable reporting we all need.<\/p>\n
“I grew up listening to and watching ABC News. It seemed ever-present in my childhood home. On a personal note, I am delighted this role brings me home, among family and friends.”<\/p>\n
Mr Marks declined to comment on reports of Robinson’s appointment<\/a> in Senate estimates earlier on Thursday.<\/p>\n He confirmed the incoming news director had been chosen after a hiring process run by an external provider.<\/p>\n However, he said he had met “many senior news people around the world” over the past six months as part of an “informal process” and had interviewed a “number of candidates”.<\/p>\n “Internal applicants were considered, but we felt that a globally experienced executive is the right thing at this point in time for the ABC,” he said.<\/p>\n Hugh Marks said the replacement of the ABC’s news director provided the organisation an opportunity to refresh and rejuvenate. (ABC News: Toby Hunt)<\/p>\n Asked why Stevens had resigned, Mr Marks told Senate estimates that Stevens “felt it was the right time for him to move on and pursue other careers”.<\/p>\n “It’s a difficult role, the head of news at the ABC. I think after four years and with intense scrutiny \u2026 I think Stevens felt it was the right time,” he said.<\/p>\n “I think it is an opportunity for the ABC to enter into a new phase of our output for what might be the next 20 years, to make sure we are fit for the future.”<\/p>\n ABC’s Justin Stevens resigns as director of news<\/a><\/p>\n Justin Stevens, the ABC’s director of news, has announced his resignation after 19 years with the organisation.<\/p>\n In a farewell email to ABC staff on Wednesday, his last day, Stevens said: “There is no more complex news organisation in the country, no more scrutinised institution, and few so laden with public expectations.”<\/p>\n “In that context, I have sought to strengthen and defend our journalism without being blind to our stumbles; to meet the state of constant change in the digital age; and to improve our culture in News to one where we hold ourselves to the same standards as we do of others in the broader community,” he said.<\/p>\n Stevens had worked at the ABC for 15 years before being appointed director of news, including as executive producer of the ABC’s flagship nightly current affairs program 7.30 and as a producer at Four Corners.<\/p>\n Appointed by Mr Marks’s predecessor David Anderson in 2022, Stevens, just 37 at the time, beat out a number of more senior candidates to become the ABC’s top news executive.<\/p>\n Bringing in an outside voice<\/p>\n Robinson’s appointment marks a significant change in direction for the ABC which has previously promoted News division leaders from within.<\/p>\n The last time an outsider was brought in to lead a large portion of that division was in the early 1990s when former Fairfax chief executive Chris Anderson was hired to head TV news and current affairs.<\/p>\n That position predated the merger of the ABC’s TV and radio news divisions, as well as the entire digital news operation which launched in 1997.<\/p>\n Since then, the position has typically gone to experienced journalists and editors from within the News division, which currently employs about 2,000 people across Australia.<\/p>\n In addition to being the ABC’s largest division, News is also arguably the most highly scrutinised, with the ABC’s taxpayer-funded status making it subject to freedom of information legislation, government oversight, including estimates hearings, and intense criticism from commercial networks.<\/p>\n During his time as news director, Stevens oversaw a period of change for the broadcaster, including an overhaul of the ABC News website and branding, the axing of legacy program Q+A<\/a>, and an emphasis on digital-first reporting.<\/p>\n Political panel show Q+A was cancelled in mid-2025 after 18 years on the air. (ABC News)<\/p>\n The ABC was consistently the number one news site in the country towards the end of his tenure, and the audience for the nightly 7pm news broadcasts had grown.<\/p>\n However, he was also forced to navigate a number of controversies, including the resignation of high-profile host Stan Grant<\/a>, which sparked a review of racism at the ABC.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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