It is, of course, a pattern. James Harding, sometime editor of the Times, was appointed head of BBC news, whereupon Ian Katz, deputy editor of the Guardian, became editor of Newsnight. And now – pretty much out of the blue – Sarah Sands, below, editor of the Evening Standard and past chief at the Sunday Telegraph, takes over as editor of Today. So the three big news-and-current-affairs chairs in public service broadcasting have printers’ ink all over them.
Sands is a magician at spotting good features ideas. She’s charming: a great front-of-house operator. She’s the only experienced editor in London used to working Today hours (ie waking up in the middle of the night). Why leave the Standard? Maybe a complete change of medium and focus seems a great idea at 55.
But resist easy conclusions. One is that Sands is a tame Tory, chosen to balance the BBC’s supposed left-wing bias. She, like Katz, belongs in a far simpler category: down-the-line professionalism serving a defined audience. And the other conclusion? That she’s a soft answer to Today’s tugs of wars between ambitious and retiring presenters. Sarah’s no iron lady, but steely enough if pushed.