News Corp Australia has announced three new senior editorial appointments within the company, with the news shared by News Corp Australasia executive chairman Michael Miller and News Corp Australia chief executive Peter Tonagh.
The three position changes will see current editor of the Sunday Herald Sun Jill Baker (pictured) being promoted to the new position of executive editor for Sundays.
Geelong Advertiser editor Nick Papps will succeed Baker as editor of the Sunday Herald Sun, while Herald Sun news editor Liam Houlihan will step up as the editor of the Geelong Advertiser.
Baker, Papps and Houlihan start in their new roles on February 1, and will all report to News Corp Australia’s Victorian managing director of editorial Peter Blunden.
Tonagh said, “Thanks to our outstanding journalists at the Herald and Weekly Times, Leader Newspapers and the Geelong Advertiser, News Corp Australia enjoys a strong leadership position in Victoria with a monthly audience of 3.7 million, which is 82% of the state’s population*.
“As one of Australia’s most accomplished journalists and editorial leaders, Jill has played a significant role in engaging those audiences. So we are delighted to announce Jill’s promotion to the new position of executive editor, Sundays. Her role will be to oversee the continuing excellence of our Sunday newspapers in ambitious and investigative journalism and the quality of their all-important specialist feature sections.
“Nick is a vastly experienced journalist and his editorship of the Geelong Advertiser has been marked by significant news investigations and community campaigns. I look forward to the energy he will bring to the Sunday Herald Sun.
“Liam has a passion for news and has excelled in one of Australia’s most competitive journalism marketplaces. He has an eye for the stories that matter to readers and it is a pleasure to welcome him to the ranks of News Corp’s editors.”
Jill Baker
In a career of more than 30 years, Baker has worked in newspapers, magazines and book publishing. She has been editor of the Sunday Age, deputy editor of The Age, group publisher at Australian Consolidated Press and publishing director at Random House Australia.
Baker joined the Herald Sun in 2008 where she worked in various roles across the paper including as deputy editor, before being appointed editor of the Sunday Herald Sun in 2012.
Nick Papps
Papps began his career as a cadet at The Advertiser in Adelaide in 1993, going on to become chief police reporter there. In 1999 he moved to Melbourne to become an investigative reporter at the Herald Sun, moving to the Sunday Herald Sun in 2001, and then returning to the Herald Sun in 2002.
In 2006, following a two year stint as News’ Los Angeles correspondent, Papps rejoined the Herald Sun, becoming its chief of staff in 2007. In 2009 he was appointed deputy editor of the Sunday Mail in Adelaide, and in 2011 he became editor of the Geelong Advertiser.
Liam Houlihan
Houlihan joined the Herald Sun as a cadet in 2004. He worked on several rounds for the Herald Sun before moving to the Sunday Herald Sun as crime reporter. He has been in the role of a chief of staff since 2011 – firstly for the Sunday Herald Sun, then circulating through the daily and Sunday papers and eventually becoming the seven days news editor.
