The editor of the Townsville Bulletin, Lachlan Heywood, has been promoted to editor of the Courier-Mail, completing a round of senior appointments at Rupert Murdoch’s local mastheads.
Heywood will be replaced by the current deputy editor of the Daily Telegraph in Sydney, Ben English, News Corp Australia’s chief executive, Peter Tonagh, announced on Friday.
“Lachlan is a dynamic editor and journalist with a deep understanding of the forces that drive Queensland from the south-east corner to the far north,” Tonagh said.
“He has the professional and personal experience to excel in the role of leading the Courier-Mail, which is Queensland’s most enduring and influential media voice.”
The movement in the editorial ranks at the News Corp mastheads was sparked by the retirement of the Australian’s long-serving editor-in-chief, Chris Mitchell, who stepped down last week after 13 years leading the national broadsheet.
Mitchell was replaced this week by fellow Queenslander Paul Whittaker, the former editor of the Daily Telegraph, who was in turn replaced by the former Courier-Mail editor, Chris Dore, on the Sydney tabloid.
English, who has been variously national Olympics editor, London correspondent and chief of staff, was widely tipped as the next Courier-Mail editor, but has been beaten to the role by Heywood, who has been credited with running innovative campaigns for the far north Queensland paper.
“Ben will bring to Townsville an extraordinary suite of journalism and editing skills,” Tonagh said. “I am delighted he has accepted this new challenge.”
Whittaker is no stranger to the Australian, having edited it from 2007 to 2011 under Mitchell, after rising from national chief of staff.
Mitchell, who has been an editor at News Corp publications for 24 years, is writing a book over Christmas and will return in the new year as a media columnist.
He told the ABC’s Media Report in an exit interview he was proud of his campaigning role at the paper.
