The Guardian's Nick Hopkins has joined Newsnight as investigations correspondent.
After 20 years in national newspapers, Hopkins joins up with former Guardian deputy editor Ian Katz, who is now editor of the BBC Two programme.
As investigations editor of The Guardian, Hopkins, who has also previously worked at the Daily Mail, was a “key member of the team that reported on Edward Snowden’s revelations on NSA surveillance”.
He joins Newsnight in the week after Jeremy Paxman announced he was leaving the programme after 25 years.
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"I have had a tremendous time at The Guardian and been lucky enough to be involved in some amazing stories," said Hopkins.
"But there is something very special about the BBC and particularly Newsnight.
"When I was a cub reporter on the Surrey Comet, I watched it with a sense of envy and awe.
"I never thought I'd have the chance to join such an influential and inspiring programme. And now I do."
Katz said: “Nick is one of those rare reporters who is admired and feared in equal measure.
"He has a remarkable track record of breaking great stories at both the Daily Mail and The Guardian and his byline is a guarantee that you can believe everything that appears underneath it.
"His appointment shows Newsnight is back in the business of breaking original agenda-setting stories.”
Hopkins began his career at the Surrey Comet before moving on to the Wolverhampton Express and Star. He joined at Mail in 1994, rising to become New York correspondent before joining The Guardian in 1998.
At The Guardian, Hopkins was news editor, deputy foreign editor, defence and security editor and a crime correspondent for four years.
Katz himself was deputy editor of The Guardian before joining Newsnight in September last year.
He has made a number of changes to the team since taking over. ITV news business editor Laura Keunnsberg was recruited as chief correspondent in November 2013.
In November it was also announced that Financial Times executive editor Chris Cook had joined the programme as policy editor.
Also that month, Newsnight science editor Susan Watts and foreign reporter Tim Whewell were made redundant.
In March, left wing blogger Duncan Weldon was recruited as Newsnight economics correspondent replacing economics editor Paul Mason who left the programme to join Channel 4 News in August last year.
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