Sun editor heads to the Times in News UK shake-up
Tony Gallagher has stepped down as editor-in-chief of the Sun after four years at the helm of the UK’s top-selling newspaper.
Gallagher, who has been appointed deputy editor of the Times, will be replaced by current Sun on Sunday editor Victoria Newton.
Keith Poole, currently digital editor at the Sun, will become deputy editor-in-chief at the same titles.
It comes amid a wider shake-up at Rupert Murdoch’s News UK empire as it looks to adapt to a changing media landscape.
The company last month announced that Sunday Times editor Martin Ivens will be replaced by Times deputy editor Emma Tucker.
The appointments mean News UK now has a female editor at two of its four newspaper titles.
“Victoria Newton has given Britain’s top-selling Sunday newspaper The Sun on Sunday its own identity, striving to connect communities and bringing both insight and entertainment to readers each weekend,” Murdoch said in a statement.
Gallagher, who previously served as editor at both the Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mail, will edit his final edition of the Sun on Friday.
Murdoch described Gallagher as a “newsman to his core”, adding that his Fleet Street experience would be an asset to the Times.
The management reshuffle comes after the news group last year won approval to share resources between its Times and Sunday Times titles, which previously faced a legal obligation to remain separate.
News UK has also confirmed that it will launch a new talk radio station — Times Radio — aimed at taking on the BBC’s Radio 4.
Meanwhile, the Sun last month quietly launched a US version of its website. Its British online offering is now the most-read online news site after overtaking rival Mail Online.