Mark Austin

Mark Austin is an award-winning journalist and is currently a U.S Correspondent for Sky News.  The 2003 Iraq Conflict saw Mark present the bulletins from various locations within the war-torn country. This was the first time a whole evening news programme was broadcast regularly for the entire duration of the conflict from inside a war zone.  Since joining ITN in 1986, Mark has specialised in covering foreign events, travelling all-round the globe. His reporting of the devastating floods in Mozambique in the early part of 2000 received an International Emmy award in the US – American television’s equivalent of an Oscar – as well as a Gold Nymph at the 2000 Television Festival of Monte Carlo and Gold and Silver Medals at the New York television Programming Awards.

In mid-1999 he played a key role in ITN’s coverage of the war in Kosovo. Based on the Albanian border for much of the conflict, Mark reported on the refugee crisis caused by the war. When NATO troops finally entered Kosovo, he was airlifted in with the Gurkhas, the first troops to enter the country, reporting on their crucial role as mine clearers and witnessing early confrontation with Serb police. Mark’s reporting of the war was part of ITN’s coverage, which received a Gold Nymph at the 1999 Television Festival of Monte Carlo.  Mark Austin was based in Hong Kong in 1993 as ITN’s Asia Correspondent. He returned there for his second tour as Asia Correspondent in 1996, spending over two years reporting on all the major events in the region including the handover of the island to the Chinese in July 1997. He returned to ITN’s London headquarters in mid-1998.

The years 1994-1995 saw Mark in Johannesburg as ITN’s Africa Correspondent. In that role,  he reported on the historic transition to democracy in South Africa and on the bloody civil war in Rwanda as well as other major events throughout the continent. During 1995 he also covered the Bosnian crisis following the fall of Srebrenica. His reporting won him a joint Gold Medal, with fellow correspondent Paul Davies, at the 1996 Film & Television Festival of New York.  Mark was even one of the first British journalists to report from the Gulf during the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990. From the start of the war early in 1991 he was in Bahrain, the base for many of the Tornado squadrons, sending back regular reports including those on the recapture from the Iraqis of the islands of Qaruh and Um-al-Maradin.

Mark joined ITN from the BBC in October 1986 in the role of Sports Correspondent. He was given his first assignment on day one – to cover England’s successful Ashes tour of Australia as well as the America’s Cup. He stayed in Australia for four months and during this time unexpectedly found himself reporting on the extraordinary “Spycatcher” trial.  Mark has also covered all the major sporting events for ITN, including the Olympics, Wimbledon, the British Open, Rugby internationals, football news and cricket. In 1993 he won top prize in the Sports News category at the Royal Television Society Sports Awards for his coverage of the drug scandal affecting three British sportsmen at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona. In 1995 he was second to ITV to report from South Africa on the 1995 Rugby World Cup.

Mark Austin started his career in the media as a general reporter on the Bournemouth Evening Echo (1976-1980). From this humble beginning, he went on to experience one of the most diverse journalistic careers ever.