Reshuffle at Channel 4 News as Veitch opts to go freelance

By WalÅ½ Azeez

ITN’s Channel 4 News has initiated a round of recruitment and internal promotions and is seeking to replace three of its top on-screen specialists following the resignation of science correspondent Andrew Veitch.

Award-winning Veitch, who has been with ITN for 15 years, is leaving to freelance so he can “pick and choose” his projects. He joined ITN in 1988 after 18 years at The Guardian, where he was medical correspondent. Channel 4 News is also seeking to fill the foreign correspondent vacancy caused by the death of Gaby Rado in Iraq in March.

Washington correspondent David Smith is also leaving next month to teach in the US.

Channel 4 News editor Jim Gray said the bulletin was also looking to hire up to five producers from outside ITN after five internal appointments were made. A number of journalists from the defunct afternoon political analysis programme Powerhouse have been moved to the Channel 4 News at Noon bulletin that replaced it.

Powerhouse researchers Sally Gould, Lucy Johnson and Katie Brown, general assistant Girish Juneja and Channel 4 News freelance Scott Reeves are to become producers.

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Internally, Channel 4 News has created three new programme editor posts resulting from the launch of Channel 4 News at Noon.

Ben Monro-Davies, assistant programme editor on the evening bulletin, and News at Noon producers Charlie Beckett and Julie Hulme, have been promoted to programme editors on the bulletin, alongside Chris Watkins and senior home news editor Kerry Blackburn, currently acting as programme editor.

In addition, producer Malcolm Boughen has been promoted to assistant programme editor, responsible for co-ordinating obituaries, including the Royal Family and major political figures.

Gray said the promotions showed “there is real strength in depth”.

He added: “Channel 4 News at Noon is starting to look really good and now we intend to build up the audience, which presents a worthy challenge for all concerned.”