Jonathan Levy has been appointed managing director and executive editor at Sky News with responsibility for journalism – and David Rhodes executive chairman of the Sky News Group with overall responsibility for its news services across EMEA.

It follows an announcement in December by John Ryley that he would be stepping down as head of Sky News after 17 years.

Mr Levy has been director of newsgathering and operations since 2011 and head of politics before that.

In his politics role, Mr Levy successfully negotiated Britain’s first televised prime ministerial debates.

He said: “It’s the greatest privilege to lead Sky News’ journalism when there’s such an urgent need for impartial and independent reporting and analysis.

“There is an exceptional team of journalists here with a burning passion for hard-hitting visual storytelling. With investment in our journalism and audiences growing on all our platforms , there’s never been a better time for news at Sky.”

Mr Rhodes said: “It is a great honour to be appointed to lead the Sky News Group. Throughout my career I’ve admired Sky’s commitment to accurate, impartial, high-quality journalism. Together we will bring this important news coverage to audiences around the UK, Europe, and the wider world.”

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Dana Strong, CEO of Sky Group, said: “Together with their teams, David and Jonathan will continue to uphold Sky News’ reputation for accuracy, impartiality and independence, remaining a leader in innovative production and original journalism.

“David has a wealth of commercial experience, strategic insight, digital acumen and, critically, has run large, international news organisations.

“Jonathan is a highly experienced news executive with first-class judgement and a successful track record of editorial delivery at Sky who will now steer Sky News UK’s journalism into the future.”

Paying tribute to Mr Ryley, she added that he has taken Sky News’ influence to “new levels” and his “lifelong commitment to accurate, original, impartial journalism” will be his “lasting legacy”.

Mr Ryley has been at Sky for 28 years, joining as an output editor in 1995 following stints at the BBC and ITV News. In 2000 he was made executive editor before becoming head of news six years later.

He was awarded an Outstanding Contribution Award by the Royal Television Society (RTS) in 2021, which said he had “effected genuine change in our industry”.

“His style is innovative, idiosyncratic. His integrity, influence and authority colossal,” it added.

His leadership oversaw what he said was “an ongoing saga of events and characters”.

He said it included “historic tipping points”, including the 2008 financial crash, the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, the campaign for the first Leaders’ debate, a summer of UK riots, the Arab Spring, the death of Princess Diana, 9-11, the rise of Isis, the Charlie Hebdo and Bataclan attacks, the European migrant crisis, four UK General Elections in nine years, one hung parliament, two referendums, Brexit, the election of Donald Trump, a COVID pandemic, the murder of George Floyd, the Taliban’s capture of Kabul, Russia’s invasion of a sovereign state, the death of Queen Elizabeth II and now a biting economic crisis and political turmoil with three Prime Ministers in seven months.

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