BBC Local has appointed its first investigations editor – to lead and develop investigative documentaries for audiences across all platforms.
Gail Champion will run the central Investigations Team based in Salford and Birmingham once she officially joins in the summer.
She will also work closely with the new multi-media investigation teams based in each region which will be managed by Senior Heads of Content Production.
Champion joins from the UK Insight team within BBC News where she has been managing a new Leeds-based multi-platform team focused on under-served audiences.
She has previously worked on the File on 4 investigative strand, and oversaw the production of investigative podcasts for BBC Sounds.
Gail Champion says: “I am delighted to be a part of the BBC’s significant new investment into original investigative journalism, which remains just as important as ever in our changing media landscape.
“I am looking forward to working with the BBC’s talented local teams around the country to harness their unique abilities and regional knowledge to investigate the stories that really matter to people wherever they live.”
Jason Horton, Director of Production for BBC Local, says: “This is a crucial and exciting appointment leading a brand new team for us. Gail is a very experienced, award winning editor, with a proven track record of delivering high-quality agenda setting journalism and is a really respected name in the industry.
“Her appointment will help us reinvent and refresh what we do on all platforms in BBC Local, while delivering stories that matter to audiences across England.”
Last year the BBC announced changes to local services including the development of a network of new local investigations teams with over 70 journalists working on original stories across the country.
The teams will produce locally-rooted investigations available on television, radio, BBC Sounds and the iPlayer.
Jon Creamer
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