ITN chief executive Deborah Turness was today announced as the BBC’s new £400,000-a-year chief executive of news and current affairs as she prepared to take over from the outgoing Fran Unsworth.
Mrs. Turness is a 54-year-old married mother-of-2. She began her ITN role last April after having worked previously at NBC News since 2013. There, she had been the first female president for a US-based network news division.
From 2004 to 2013, she served as editor of ITV News, the first woman to do so. The BBC will pay her a salary of £400,000, an increase on Unsworth’s by around £60,000, but her start date is yet to be confirmed.
According to reports, Tim Davie, director general of BBC was very interested in Ms Turness being appointed to the position. However, he had to continue to push her after initially turning down her offer. Both Mr Davie, Ms Turness and they spoke last September at the Royal Television Society media conference. He was even interviewed onstage.
After four years of service and over 40 years at BBC, Unsworth (64) is retiring. She will leave the company this month. The BBC announced her departure four months prior.
Rumours circulated that Unsworth’s deputy directors of BBC News Jonathan Munro and Jamie Angus were the frontrunners. RTE News’ chief Jon Williams was also linked to the post, as well as Sky News’ director of content Cristina Nicolotti Squires.
Ofcom’s Director of Content and Media Policy, Kevin Bakhurst, and BBC Radio 4 Presenter Nick Robinson were also tipping. The Times said last week that there was an’mystery outlier’ but now it appears this is Ms Turness.
Mr Munro was controversial because of his involvement in hiring Martin Bashir, BBC’s correspondent for religious affairs in 2016, despite the Panorama interview with Princess Diana two centuries earlier.
Mister Munro conducted background checks. He was then told that Bashir had created documents to facilitate the chat. This information was presented to James Harding, then chief of news. Harding took full responsibility for Bashir’s return. Ken MacQuarrie, a former BBC executive, reviewed his decision and exonerated all involved.
This position was confirmed and will be held by Ms Turness. In a statement, she stated that the BBC’s strong brand of trusted, impartial journalism is needed in the UK as well as around the globe.
“It’s a privilege to have been asked to grow BBC News in a period of rapid digital growth and innovation when its content is reaching greater global audiences on more platforms than ever.”
Deborah Turness, chief executive at ITN, has been named today as BBC’s chief executive for news and current affairs.
Fran Unsworth is retiring. Ms Turness will replace her. She’ll be leaving at the end January
BBC director general Tim Davie talks to Ms Turness, chief executive of ITN at the RTS Cambridge Convention in September last year
Tim Davie, director general of BBC said that Deborah Turness will be joining BBC News and Current Affairs as its CEO.
Deborah has a lot of experience and insight. She also brings first-class editorial judgment. Her delivery record is strong.
How Deborah Turness made her name in TV by doorstepping Jacques Chirac while on work experience in France
Deborah Turness (54), was born in Rushden in Hertfordshire and holds a degree from Surrey University in French literature and English literature.
Additionally, she completed a Post-Graduate Journalism Course at Bordeaux University. This was when she became a freelancer for ITN.
After being assigned to interview Jon Snow, Ms Turness was working as an ITN trainee and secured an exclusive interview (which became the News at Ten’s lead story) with Jacques Chirac.
After that, Ms Turness worked for ITN in its foreign, home, and planning departments before she joined the North of England bureau. Ms Turness served as ITN’s Washington Bureau producer during Bill Clinton’s White House visit.
After launching 5 News Channel 5 in 1997, she became the editor of RI:SE on Channel 4. After being appointed ITV News deputy editors in 2002, she became the editor of ITV News in 2004. It was her first ever female editor at ITV News.
ITV received an Emmy award and three consecutive Bafta awards, along with many RTS Programme of the year awards. While in her role, she also completed a mini-MBA program at Ashridge Business School.
Ms. Turness became the first female president of a US network news division when she joined NBC News in 2013. She was the leader of a group that included more than 3,000 technicians and journalists. Her responsibility also included all commercial revenue and editorial content for NBC News. It included the networks major brands, such as Today, NBC Nightly News, Meet the Press, and NBC Nightly News.
In April 2021, she joined ITN and became chief executive. She worked in the three main business areas: newsrooms and long-form production.
John Toker, an ex-ITN producer and Ms Turness are married and have two children, ages eight and twelve. She is known for her passions in paddleboarding, wild swimming, and cooking.
She is an avid advocate of impartial journalism.
“She will be a great leader of our current affairs and news as we fulfill the BBC’s digital-age public service mission.”
Ms Turness, who was born in Rushden in Hertfordshire and holds a degree from Surrey University in French literature and English literature.
Additionally, she completed a Post-Graduate Journalism Course at Bordeaux University. This was when she became a freelancer for ITN.
After being summoned to interview Jon Snow, she was on ITN’s work experience.
Ms Turness managed tangle him at a rally and got an interview, which became the News at Ten lead story. After that, she worked at ITN’s foreign, planning and home desks before moving to the North of England bureau.
Ms Turness worked as ITN’s Washington Bureau producer during Bill Clinton’s time at the White House. She also spent some time in Bosnia during World War II.
Her involvement in the creation of 5 News was on Channel 5. In 1997 she then moved to Channel 4 where she became Editor for the breakfast show, RI.SE.
After being appointed ITV News deputy editors in 2002, she became the editor of ITV News in 2004. It was her first ever female editor at ITV News.
ITV was awarded an Emmy, three consecutive Bafta Awards and several RTS Programmes of the Year awards during her tenure. While in her role, she also completed a mini-MBA program at Ashridge Business School.
In 2013, Ms. Turness became the first American woman to become president of a news network division.
As a leader, she managed a team that included more than 3,000 journalist and technician members. She also was in charge of all editorial content for NBC News.
These included the major networks such as Today, NBC Nightly News With Lester Holt and Meet the Press.
After just 18 months, Ms Turness was able to survive a major row at NBC. Brian Williams in 2015 admitted that he exaggerated stories about an Iraq War mission in 2003.
One NBC insider had described her as having ‘come out of that populist, in-your-face Brit news style, and it makes a lot of male news executives uncomfortable’, adding: ‘Her management style grates with a lot of the people here.’
But others at NBC defended her, with one source saying: ‘In fairness, she walked into a complete s***storm there’.
In April 2021, she joined ITN and became chief executive. She worked in the three main business areas: newsrooms and long-form production.
BBC stated that it has renamed its position from chief executive to director in an effort to reflect the BBC’s ambition to continue building its global news brand and growing its news services.
Deborah Turness secured Monica Lewinsky’s position as special correspondent to the 2000 US Presidential Election for 5 News. The pair are photographed together in 2000 with Yosemite National Park cameraman.
Deborah Turness, who was the editor of ITV News in 2004, is shown here. She became ITV’s first woman editor.
BBC claimed it had changed the title of the director to chief executive in an effort to express its “ambition to continue building the BBC’s global news brand” and grow the BBC’s news services. The BBC’s New Broadcasting House is located in London.
According to the corporation, Ms Turness will be responsible for approximately 6,000 employees and broadcasting in over 40 languages.
The BBC News website is used by eight in ten UK adults every week. The record breaking 456 million users worldwide now have access to services. Turness is also being nominated to the BBC Board.
Unsworth was previously the director of current affairs and news before being promoted to this position. She had been with BBC Radio 1 since 1980, when she started her career on Newsbeat.
Previous roles include head of newsgathering, BBC home news editor, and head for political programmes.
For periods 2012-2013, she was BBC’s acting chief of news and current affairs. In 2014, she became the BBC World Service Group’s first woman director. She oversaw the largest expansion of the World Service in its history.