Top investigative journalists to join Channel 4 News

29 January 2015

Guy Basnett

 

Channel 4 News expands its award-winning investigations unit with the appointment of Paul McNamara and Guy Basnett, the journalists behind a series of high-profile exclusives with OpenWorld News since 2012.

The pair has worked closely with Channel 4 News in recent years.

Working in collaboration with the national media, their 2014 expose of how retailers were selling unlabelled Halal meat dominated the news agenda.

They have also revealed how thousands of children are routinely going missing from council care; and how Comic Relief was investing millions of pounds of donations in arms companies and tobacco firms.

The investigative journalists have also broken a string of broadcast scoops.

Working with Channel 4 News they revealed how thousands of children nationwide are at risk of child sexual exploitation; and how hospitals were incinerating unborn babies as waste in a Channel 4 Dispatches which was shortlisted for Investigation of the Year at the British Journalism Awards 2014.

Channel 4 News editor Ben de Pear, said: “Paul and Guy have an outstanding track-record of digging beneath the data to uncover the truth and in doing so have delivered an impressive range of ground-breaking scoops. Our investment in this unit reaffirms our commitment to investigative journalism which remains crucial at Channel 4 News in holding power to account. I look forward to welcoming two veteran newspaper reporters to the world of TV news.”

McNamara and Basnett will report to Job Rabkin, commissioning editor of investigations.

The programme continues to investigate the rise of British Jihadists in Syria and last week broadcast the accounts of two British men who have returned from the conflict. Last year a Channel 4 News investigation exposed sordid new claims about the drinking culture in Westminster, leading to the Palace of Westminster being rechristened the ‘Palace of Sexminster’ in the press. The programme has also revealed allegations of impropriety against Lib Dem peer Lord Rennard that sent reverberations through his party.

Guy Basnett, said: “We couldn’t be more excited to be joining Channel 4 News. This is an incredible opportunity to contribute to an award-winning programme with a track record of brilliant investigative journalism.”

Investigative journalist Guy Basnett has a proven track record of data journalism and Freedom of Information investigations which have become headline news. He was shortlisted for Reporter of the Year at the British Press Awards 2009, and Young Journalist of the Year at the British Press Awards 2010. He was awarded Young Reporter of the Year at the Press Gazette Regional Press Awards 2006.

Previously a war reporter, Paul McNamara has worked for the biggest newspapers in the UK and US, and reported on conflicts from the frontline of Afghanistan to the Arab Spring.