The Financial Times has hired Spectator journalist Sebastian Payne to lead a revamp of its online comment coverage.
Payne will take on the role of digital comment editor, overseeing a redesign of opinion writing on FT.com that will include a greater emphasis on new formats including video and audio. He will also write for online and print.
FT editor Lionel Barber said: “Sebastian is one of the most talented digital innovators of his generation. We are thrilled he is joining the Financial Times. Our readers count among the most sophisticated and discerning in the world. This move will further strengthen the FT’s position as the leading platform for conversation and debate on the most pressing business, economic and financial issues.”
Payne is currently the deputy editor of the Spectator’s Coffee House blog, and has previously served as the magazine’s online editor. He will start at the FT in January.
Comment and opinion are seen as increasingly important to newspapers trying to attract and retain subscribers. More than two-thirds of the FT’s 746,000 subscribers pay for a digital package. In March, it switched from the digital metered access model it pioneered to a system of cut-price trials.
In July, FT owner Pearson agreed to sell the 127-year-old newspaper to Japanese news group Nikkei for £844m. The deal was described by the FT’s leadership as the best way to help drive its growth, particularly in international markets.
