Bevan Shields: Sydney Morning Herald editor steps down, Jordan Baker named as replacement

Headshot of Peta Rasdien
Peta Rasdien
The Nightly
Former SMH editor Bevan Shields.
Former SMH editor Bevan Shields. Credit: IMDB/stan/supplied

Bevan Shields, the editor of the Sydney Morning Herald, has announced he is stepping down after four years in the role, with his replacement already named.

The announcement came amid speculation over his future in the role.

In a message to staff, he wrote, “This job has been the honour of my life, and I am extremely proud of everything we have achieved together. The time has come for me to focus on my health and wellbeing, and to think about the next chapter in my career.”

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“I would like to thank you all for the privilege of being your editor. I am now going to embark on a break from the newsroom over summer and return to the Herald in a senior writing role.”

In a separate email to staff, executive editor of the SMH, Luke McIlveen, revealed Jordan Baker would replace Shields as editor early in the new year.

“As you all know, Jordan has led the Herald’s reporting team as chief reporter and is a linchpin of the Herald newsroom.”

McIlveen said Shields had “worked incredibly hard to ensure the Herald’s ongoing success” and thanked him for his dedication and commitment to the publication and its readers.

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