Nine has today announced the formation of a new, dedicated longform current affairs and investigations unit.
60 Minutes Executive Producer Kirsty Thomson will oversee the new unit in an expansion of her existing responsibilities.
Nine reports that the creation of this new multi-platform unit will enable Nine news and current affairs reporters to “delve deeper into compelling national and international issues.”
It exists as part of Nine’s broader News Transformation project, which has an interest in making use of Nine’s extensive archives of historical footage and other resources.
Thomson has already been running a trial version of the team with this announcement formalising the ongoing work of the team. Nine has touted the success of its digital-video show The Brief, produced by the new team, which has covered a range of diverse stories including the mystery surrounding the death of actor Gene Hackman, through to Chinese warships in Australian waters, and the death of great-grandmother Clare Nowland in a police-involved taser incident.
The new unit has also produced ten one-hour documentaries and has further engaged with Stan, The Sydney Morning Herald, and The Age on four documentary projects. More programs are in production.
“I’m incredibly excited to lead this new unit and build on the fantastic momentum we’ve already established. The opportunity to delve deeper into compelling narratives, uncover new perspectives, and collaborate with Nine’s exceptional talent nationwide is immense. We’re passionate about pushing creative boundaries and delivering high-quality, longform journalism that captures the stories shaping Australia and the world. This unit is about empowering our journalists and production teams to pursue those stories that demand more time and a different lens, ensuring we can bring the full picture to our audience,” Thomson said of the announcement.
Fiona Dear, Nine’s Director of News and Current Affairs, said: “This strategic investment in our news teams underscores our unwavering commitment to journalistic excellence and builds upon our clear strength in longer-form, more in-depth stories.
“By leveraging the company’s unrivalled scale and diversity we can access ideas and content from our award-winning journalists across both 9News and Nine’s publishing mastheads and deliver it to our audiences across our streaming and broadcast platforms.”
“We recognised a clear need to provide a space where important stories can be explored with the depth and nuance they deserve. In today’s fast-paced news cycle, the ability to dedicate resources to longer, more investigative pieces is crucial. Under Kirsty’s leadership, this unit is poised to deliver impactful content that informs, engages and sets the agenda.”
In recent weeks there have been stirrings of rival Ten launching its own investigative unit with rumours circling of a dedicated current affairs show that could possibly take the place of The Project.
Martin White, Vice-President of Broadcast News, spoke with Mediaweek and advised that the network is “looking to explore longer-form, investigative storytelling across all our platforms.” Former 7News journalists Denham Hitchcock and Amelia Brace have joined the Ten news team.