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Award-winning reporter saved from redundancy threat

An award-winning reporter who faced being made redundant in the latest round of job cuts at Trinity Mirror has escaped the axe.

Les Reid, left, political correspondent and columnist for the Coventry Telegraph, is the current Midlands Journalist of the Year and Daily News Reporter of the Year.

Yet HTFP discovered he was among six members of the paper’s editorial staff facing redundancy as part of wider cutbacks at the regional publisher, which is cutting 92 posts across its regional titles.

Les revealed his job was now safe in a Tweet posted over the weekend.

“Pleased to announce I’m staying on as @CovTelegraph political correspondent – redundancy risk gone,” he said in the post.

The announcement prompted a stream of congratulations from readers, contacts and other well-wishers, including North Warwickshire and Bedworth MP Daniel Byles, with many claiming it was “good news” for local journalism and some praising the “common sense” decision.

The announcement via Twitter prompted messages of congratulations

HTFP understands that two feature writers, a sports reporter, a reporter from one of the paper’s associated weeklies, and a member of the production team had also been under threat.

But NUJ Midland representative Chris Morley said there had been no compulsory redundancies at the Telegraph.

“Across the company, where the union has been involved, we have got everyone sorted – whether that be redeployment or arranging for someone outside those at risk to be able to take voluntary redundancy, creating a position,” he said.

Earlier this year, Trinity Mirror announced that it would be axing 92 posts at its regional titles at the same time as creating 52 new roles across its national and regional divisions, as part of a move toward more content sharing across its regional and national titles.

It is understood that some of those affected at Coventry have been able to take up a newly-created position.

Les took to the social networking site again later to thank followers for their messages, saying: “Thanks to all for supportive comments on here yesterday. Really appreciated.”

The possibility of Les being made redundant had even been raised in Parliament, with local MPs drafting an Early Day Motion voicing concerns of the impact on local political journalism.

Coventry South MP Jim Cunningham, with the support of fellow city MP Geoffrey Robinson, said in the EDM that the proposal would “remove a long-standing tradition of political journalism in Coventry by making the post of political correspondent redundant whilst Trinity Mirror titles in other major cities would retain their political specialist.”

As well as taking home two gongs at the Midland Media Awards last year, Les also won Newspaper Reporter of the Year for the Midlands region at the 2009 Birmingham Press Club Awards and has worked on a number of high-profile investigations.

The changes from Trinity Mirror will mean a new shared content unit based in Liverpool will be created, producing feature pages that can be used across similar regional titles, covering subjects such as health, travel, fashion, food, entertainment and reviews.

There will also be closer working between the national and regional titles, with Daily Mirror reporters embedded in regional newsrooms and content being shared across all of Trinity Mirror’s newspapers and digital platforms.

Trinity Mirror have yet to comment.

7 comments

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  • April 3, 2013 at 9:13 am
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    What about the other reporters facing the axe? What has happened to them? Have all of their jobs been saved?
    Surely giving so much attention to the fact one person has kept his job is just adding salt to the wounds of the ones who will be leaving/have left? Unless of course the attention previously given to this story has changed the fortunes for all of the people concerned?

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  • April 3, 2013 at 9:30 am
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    I’m pleased that this person won’t be facing losing his job – but I do feel rather uncomfortable that this high profile and very public campaign appears to have been about just one person and not included the other staff losing their jobs.

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  • April 3, 2013 at 11:24 am
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    Sense prevails. My understanding is Trinity Mirror cuts were mainly achieved this time round by voluntaries, in Coventry & Birmingham.

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  • April 3, 2013 at 11:53 am
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    Good he is staying but I guess he won’t be collecting his pension there?

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  • April 3, 2013 at 1:01 pm
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    Glad he has kept his job but would be a little worried if it meant someone else lost theirs instead.

    You would think (hope?) an award winning reporter would be able to find another job. A recently qualified trainee or senior… maybe not.

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  • April 5, 2013 at 1:21 pm
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    Les must be so proud of everything he has done over the last 12 months.

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