Kathryn Samson is an award-winning Scottish journalist, with over 15 years of experience in television news. She joins from STV where she has served as Westminster Editor and Correspondent since 2019.
Kathryn Samson is an award-winning Scottish journalist, with over 15 years of experience in television news. She joins from STV where she has served as Westminster Editor and Correspondent since 2019.
She will be based in the programme’s Glasgow bureau, bringing the latest in news, politics and social affairs from right across the country.
Kathryn has brought a distinctive flair to some of the UK’s major stories of the past decade, from Brexit to the pandemic, and has reported in both the Scottish Parliament and Westminster.
She has worked across multiple national newsrooms, including as Political Correspondent for both ITV News and ITV Border, and in broadcast journalism for BBC Scotland.
Last year Kathryn was awarded Royal Television Society Nations and Regions Presenter of the Year and STV Journalist of the Year in 2020.
She has interviewed leading figures in UK politics including Boris Johnson, Nicola Sturgeon and Sir Keir Starmer, secured numerous exclusives and broken stories of political resignations on air.
Channel 4 News Editor, Esme Wren said: “We are delighted to be welcoming Kathryn to Channel 4 News to lead our Scotland coverage. With a fantastic reputation across political spheres and a strong instinct to tell complex stories in an accessible and creative way, I know our already stand-out Scotland coverage will go from strength-to-strength under Kathryn’s stewardship. We look forward to seeing her report for all our audiences, in Scotland and right across the UK.”
Kathryn Samson said: “I am absolutely thrilled to be taking on the role of Scotland Correspondent for Channel 4 News, a programme I have always watched and admired. This is a great opportunity to find new voices, to tell people’s stories and to hold those who represent them to account. I look forward to working alongside some of the best journalists in the industry, and building on the excellent reputation of the Scotland bureau.”
Managing Editor of Channel 4 News, Ed Fraser said: “This is a brilliant appointment for one of Scotland’s leading political journalists. As we look ahead to a possible General Election next year, we welcome Kathryn to the Channel 4 News fold to bring her expert insight and analysis of current and social affairs to the programme and her wider expertise in Westminster politics and beyond.”
2023 has been an exceptional year for Channel 4 News’ Scotland coverage, being the first national newsroom to broadcast a UK-wide SNP leadership debate and landing a run of high-profile exclusives during the campaign.
Kathryn Samson’s appointment bolsters the programme’s expanding presence across the UK, following the launch of its second national newsroom located in Leeds.