Award-winning foreign correspondent Mark Austin has been officially
announced as the new anchor for the ITV News at 10.30pm when veteran
broadcaster Sir Trevor McDonald steps down at the end of the year.
McDonald
announced last year that he planned to give up the role, and Austin,
who currently presents the early evening news bulletin, was tipped as
his successor.
Austin is the latest in a long line of ITN foreign
and war correspondents who have made the move over to anchoring ITV
News bulletins.
He was the first British journalist to report
from the Gulf during the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990 and has also
reported from Rwanda, Kosovo and Srebrenica.
David Mannion, editor-in-chief of ITV News, said Austin would continue to present the 6.30pm bulletin as well.
He added: “Mark’s background and experience provide him with exceptional credibility and authority.
“Trevor
is of course unique, but I am delighted someone of Mark’s calibre is
stepping in and I am completely confident that he will emerge as
Britain’s most popular and authoritative news anchor.”
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