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Hamish MacDonald joins ABC (US)

Former TEN correspondent lands a plum role with ABC network in the US.

hamcdFormer TEN correspondent Hamish MacDonald has signed an impressive deal with ABC in the US as International Affairs Correspondent.

MacDonald, who parted ways with TEN in September, is in New York ahead but will move permanently to London, where he was based prior to his role with TEN.

Filing for such shows as World News with Diane Sawyer, Good Morning America, Nightline and 20 / 20, he will cover news in north Africa and the Middle East.

Fairfax reports he negotiated a release from his TEN contract after being approached by ABC.

“TEN’s management, and Bev McGarvey, could not have been more supportive,” Macdonald told Fairfax.

“They were very receptive to my reasoning,” he said. “This is a great opportunity.”

The news is in contrast to a previous report in September by News Corp that MacDonald’s exit had stemmed from a clash of opinions over his short-lived current-affairs series The Truth Is.

ABC’s president of news Ben Sherwood told staff Macdonald was “one of the best storytellers of his generation.”
“Hamish is a dynamic addition to our outstanding international news-gathering team.”

During his 3 years at TEN, MacDonald appeared on the Late News, 6:30 with George Negus, The Project, TEN News and news specials on Julian Assange and motorcycle gangs. Hid previous roles in the UK included UK correspondent for Al Jazeera where he won Young Journalist of the Year award at the Royal Television Society awards.

MacDonald’s new role with ABC begins on Monday.

8 Responses

  1. Oh, thats really Sad. I absolutly love Hamish. Such a great journalist and a super Hottie.

    It’s a Pitty we wont be getting him back on our screens. His Little Doco series “the truth is” was fantastic!

  2. This is definitely ABC (US)’s gain.

    Ten treated him dreadfully.

    And of course Hamish would have to publically thank them. Who knows he might work with some of the Ten management in the future and wouldn’t want to burn bridges.

    My gut feeling is that his political views upset Rinehardt and Murdoch and they had to show him the door.

    I guess the same applies to Dave Hughes who was never comfortable with Steve Price on The Project.

    Sad state of affairs when anyone expressing an opinion on TV or radio that doesn’t meet with the current rightwing government’s approval are either censored or shut down completely.

    1. There’s no evidence to suggest the views of Hughes and MacDonald were the reasons they departed. Hughes has been upkeeping a punishing media schedule for years. Eventually family beckons. MacDonald says he had been offered a US role. You can choose not to believe, but “gut feeling” is not evidence.

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