Ruby Jones and Daniel James to host 7am daily news show

Award-winning news podcast 7am is welcoming investigative reporter Ruby Jones back to the helm, as host and executive producer.

Ruby has been on maternity leave and will return to the role part-time. She is already known to audiences for her agenda-setting work on 7am. For more than three years, she has helped embed the podcast in the daily news cycle and placed it at No. 1 in the news podcast charts. Prior to this, she worked at the ABC, where she was an investigative reporter, hosting and reporting the true crime podcast Barrenjoey Road.

“I can’t wait to come back to 7am to tell the most important stories in the country, alongside such a talented team who want to tell those stories in such exciting, fresh ways,” says Jones.

“The 7am listeners are an incredible community and I’m very much looking forward to getting back to giving them the best show to listen to every day.”

Jones will be joined by Yorta Yorta writer and broadcaster Daniel James. James was the recipient of the prestigious Horne Prize for his essay “Ten More Days”. He is a contributor to The Saturday Paper, The Monthly, IndigenousX, SBS, Crikey, The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald. He also hosts The Mission on 3RRRFM.

Last year, James hosted 7am’s coverage in the lead-up to the Voice referendum, speaking with major players from both sides of the Voice debate, including Marcia Langton, Lidia Thorpe, Megan Davis, Thomas Mayo, Julian Leeser and more.

James’s work explores notions of empathy, intergenerational trauma, hidden history and the political landscape that continues to shape the lives of Aboriginal people across the country.

“I’ve always been an avid listener of 7am and now, to have the opportunity to join the team, is an exciting challenge at a crucial time.”

“The 7am audience is an astute one, so I look forward to taking an in-depth look at the issues shaping Australia, here and abroad, during this particular crossroad in our history.”

Schwartz Media’s head of audio, Sarah McVeigh, has also returned from maternity leave and will work as editor on 7am.

“I am thrilled to be back with the team, working on some of the most compelling audio storytelling in the country during an exciting new chapter for the show.”

“We’re planning some ambitious projects we know the audience will love.”

“Ruby Jones and Daniel James are a powerhouse pair of journalists. They both bring empathy and intelligence to their reporting and we’re lucky to have them.”

Schwartz Media’s editor-in-chief Erik Jensen: “Sarah, Ruby and Daniel are some of the best audiomakers in the country. Together, they will be making a show at the forefront of news podcasting, telling stories that cut through the daily cycle and connect to listeners who want more from news.”

The new hosts will be on air on alternate days, starting from Monday, July 15.