Guardian appoints its first female editor

After months of speculation, the Guardian have appointed their new editor-in-chief and it is not a man. Katharine Viner, the Guardian US editor, will become the paper’s first female editor later this year when she takes over from Alan Rusbridger as the publication’s editor-in-chief .

The decision comes after a drawn out process which saw the Oxford graduate come out top against her Guardian rivals – including Janine Gibson – in a staff ballot. It’s thought Viner had to compete with the publication’s former deputy editor Ian Katz in the final round, with the pair both having interviews with the Scott Trust.

However, it was people’s favourite Viner who impressed, with sources claiming that Katz’s decision to leave the Guardian in 2013 to join the BBC as Newsnight editor was a factor in the trust’s decision. The appointment has certainly pleased Rusbridger, whose relationship with Katz is said to have suffered since he quit.