The Sydney Morning Herald appoints Bevan Shields as new editor

Nine newspapers has appointed Bevan Shields as the new editor of the Sydney Morning Herald six weeks after the surprise exit of Lisa Davies.

Nine’s flagship Sydney newspaper The Sydney Morning Herald has appointed Bevan Shields as its new editor.

Nine released the announcement on Wednesday which will see Shields, who has spent the past two years as Europe correspondent for the SMH and The Age, elevated to lead the paper from January.

The move comes after the surprise exit of Lisa Davies who on October 19 issued an internal group message to staff saying the “time feels right for me to look towards what’s next”.

The SMH and The Age’s executive editor Tory Maguire said the new appointment comes at a “crucial time for the masthead” as the country moves out of “crisis phase of the pandemic and into election season”.

“Bevan has proven to be an expert at journalism with impact, both as a reporter and as the leader of the metros’ federal politics bureau,” she said.

“He also has an instinct for audiences and what drives them to engage with, and then pay for, our journalism.”

Prior to joining the Nine mastheads Shields worked as news director at Fairfax Digital Media and health reporter for the Illawarra Mercury.

He said he was “humbled, honoured and hungry” to take on the editorship.

Davies edited the SMH since February 2017 and in October deputy editor Cosima Marriner sat in the editor’s chair while the hunt was on for a permanent replacement.