Investigative reporter and former foreign correspondent Linton Besser will be replacing Paul Barry as the host of Media Watch as part of an ABC staff shake-up in 2025.

Earlier this year, Barry announced he would be stepping away from the program after more than a decade as the show's longest-serving host.

Besser has reported around the world for Four Corners, Foreign Correspondent and 7.30.

He said he was excited to take on the new role, which he hoped would help mend distrust in the media.

"I am thrilled, and sobered, to be a part of this fine tradition, and to follow in the footsteps of people I so admire: Paul Barry, Jon Holmes and David Marr not least among them," he said.

"I am honoured to be invited to work with the very fine journalists who put this vital program together, and with the new EP Mario Christodoulou, who ranks among the very smartest people I know.

"Media Watch remains Australia's best guardrail against poor conduct by the press. Too often, members of the public have described their distaste for the media and their distrust of journalistic ethics and practice. In a small way, I hope to be part of the corrective.

"The media is hugely influential and deserves just as much scrutiny as every other centre of power in Australian society."