During the following year Katz moved to The Guardian remaining there until his BBC appointment in 2013, apart taking up a Laurence Stern fellowship at The Washington Post in 1993.
[10] As features editor in January 2003, he ran an image commissioned from artist Gillian Wearing for the G2 front cover which consisted of the words: "Fuck Cilla Black".
[25] Katz was also one of the newspaper's contacts with Julian Assange of WikiLeaks, whose material The Guardian initially published before the relationship between the two organisations turned sour.
Katz typed, in what he thought was a private direct message, that the Labour MP Rachel Reeves was "boring snoring" while being interviewed by Jeremy Paxman on the programme.
[33] He argued for a better understanding between the two sides in the "transaction", so that an interview is "a source of light as well as heat" becoming an opportunity to "explore and illuminate the dilemmas politicians face, to recognise that government is not a choice between good and bad policies but most often a search for the least worst option.
In his first major speech to the TV industry in May 2018, Katz affirmed his commitment to Channel 4's public service mission, saying the broadcaster's remit was "more important and relevant than ever".
[36] He pledged to "dial up the difference" not he channel, announcing new commissions including Brexit: The Uncivil War, The Big Narstie Show and This Way Up.
[39] Other shows commissioned under Katz include Jade: The Reality Star Who Changed Britain, The Dog House, Joe Lycett's Got Your Back, Help, Grayson's Art Club, We Are Lady Parts, The Circle and The Curse.
[46] Other controversies include a backlash over Gogglebox star, Scarlett Moffatt's family home being recreated in rural Namibia for factual entertainment show, The British Tribe Next Door.
[48] Katz has overseen the creation of Channel 4's cross-UK commissioning team, with network commissioners established in Leeds, Glasgow and Bristol.