The ABC’s political editor Andrew Probyn has been sacked and said he was “very surprised” when the national broadcaster told them they no longer needed a political editor for TV news.
Probyn is the most high-profile journalist yet to be targeted in a 120-job ax before a major restructuring of the corporation begins on July 1. A total of 41 papers have been dropped at ABC News.
“I’m pretty blown away,” he said after being summoned to a meeting on Thursday and told his job was no longer to present political reports for ABC News and online from the press gallery in Canberra.
“I’ve been told the national broadcaster no longer needs a political editor and they want to reinvest the money into social and digital reporting roles,” Probyn told Guardian Australia.
“Good luck at the ABC. I’m still trying to come to terms with it. I’m very proud of all the stories I’ve broken at the ABC and the determination and vigor I’ve brought to political reporting at the national broadcaster.”
The ABC said the job losses were “savings measures and reinvestment initiatives” needed to move to a digital organisation.
ABC news director Justin Stevens told staff that the ABC is moving away from linear news broadcasting to “capture new audiences that are increasingly looking for their political news from other platforms and media “.
“This proposal moves resources within [the ABC’s parliament house bureau] to give us more strength in digital and social production, allowing our political coverage to reach more segments of currently underserved audiences,” he said.
The award-winning journalist was recruited in Western Australia by the ABC in 2017 and appointed political editor after Chris Uhlmann left the station for Nine.
“And let me say that it has been a great privilege to work as the ABC’s political editor, and only those who have held that role would know or fully understand the public and political scrutiny that comes with that role, often to personal detriment. And I did it with great pleasure for the ABC.”
