A weekly editor whose paper was recently bought out by Newsquest has told staff she is quitting the title.
Lesley Potter, left, has decided to leave the editorship of the Reading Chronicle months after its parent company was sold to the regional publishing giant.
The Chronicle was part of the Romanes Media Group until May when it was sold to Newsquest along with 28 other local titles, most of them based in Scotland.
Lesley becomes the latest senior figure to depart in the wake of the deal which has already seen two former senior RMG executives, group publishing director Keith McIntyre and finance director Graham Faulds, leave the business.
Lesley has declined to comment on her departure but it is thought that she had become disenchanted with the direction of the paper since the takeover and that the decision to leave was hers alone.
Newsquest recently axed the production department of the former Romanes titles in Berkshire and transferred its work to the company’s existing production hubs in Southampton and Newport, with the loss of around seven jobs.
Southern Daily Echo editor Ian Murray now has editorial oversight of the Chronicle in his role as editor-in-chief of the newly-created Newsquest Hampshire and Berkshire division.
It is not clear whether Ian plans to appoint a successor to Lesley and he has so far not responded to HTFP’s requests for a comment.
A former Mail on Sunday journalist, Lesley took over as editor of the Chronicle in June 2014 after her predecessor, Maurice O’Brien, was forced to quit amid the fallout from a front page story on crowd trouble at Reading Football Club.
The piece had appeared to link the Hillsborough disaster to football hooliganism and led to a furious backlash from campaigners, including the Liverpool Echo.
Lesley’s editorship saw the Chronicle enjoy a huge sales boost in November last year when the rival Reading Post, owned by Trinity Mirror, axed its print edition and went digital-only.
It is understood that Lesley does not have a new role to go to and is now considering future career options.
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Good move.
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well done – about time people started standing up to be counted. There is a whole world out there beyond crumbling papers.
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Shame she’s not commenting (tied to a redundancy payout deal?) as her “disenchantment with the direction” of the paper may hold insights pertinent to us all. I also wonder if last November’s “huge sales boost” was sustained. I’m not holding my breath for any illuminating communication from this communication company on the matter.
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Kenny G, I imagined you saying that while playing the sax.
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Lesley tried to defend the paper and did her best.
It is, sadly, doomed like most of the rest of the Hampshire-Dorset-Wiltshire-Berkshire stable now ‘edited’ by one person.
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in my experience the majority of those who leave regional press or who are cost cut victims move on to much better things and succeed, its the desperados who stay and cling on to the wreckage we should feel sorry for
good luck Lesley-good move
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‘We’re here to stay’ said Lesley in November… well unless we get taken over and our jobs are threatened. Always best not to say too much these days eh Lesley? http://www.holdthefrontpage.co.uk/2014/news/were-here-to-stay-says-editor-as-rival-paper-is-axed/
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Always better off out of it. I count myself lucky to have escaped the carnage they are perpetrating here.
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Tortured: “Carnage” means “extensive slaughter of human beings”, and things aren’t that bad, though it may feel like it sometimes.
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Classy comment from behind an anonymous username Mirrorcracked about a working journalist who has looked at how things are developing and decided on principle it wasn’t for her.
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From what I know, I imagine the departure’s of her own choosing. Given the calamitous direction the paper’s been taking since Newsquest took over, I don’t blame her. Pictures and captions missing, stories spilling over with paragraphs being cut off, stories repeated on multiple pages, the subs inaccurately calling Reading a “city” in headlines… it’s become an absolute joke. She’s best out of it – she’s got a solid track record and will hopefully land on her feet somewhere better.
(I hasten to add that the above isn’t meant as a slur on the Chron’s staff – I’m well aware that it’s largely down to shortcomings in the NQ content management system and overworked subs based hundreds of miles away with no knowledge of the patch)
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It’s bitter sweet when you move out of journalism, we all love it but it’s increasingly not what it was. I often miss it, but I miss a memory, not the reality.
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I saw writing on wall and quit job i used to love. After a year out of work luckily found great job with small company. This lady has made a wise move and good luck to her. The likes of NQ and JP have plenty in common, none of it positive I am afraid.
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No, everyone. You are, I am afraid, incorrect in your statements. Everything is completely under control.
Hatstand!
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Hard to understand why someone who was used to working in an efficient, well resourced, single site business, retaining control of elements such as design, page flow, schedules and deadlines would want to quit just because the business has now been split across three different operations spread over a 275-mile radius, working on an unmanageable system which isn’t fit for purpose and forces compromises in standards and customer service lapses every day….
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At least her business unit didn’t try to sack her while she’s on sick leave.
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All the best Lesley, it’s such a shame that you are leaving, you will be missed by local community of Reading. We wish you well and know that you will soon be back doing the great job that you have done for many years, albeit with another local community media company.
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In tribute to Lesley we should rewrite the headline in modern Newsquest style.
‘You’ll never believe what this editor did next! But it didn’t involve TAYLOR SWIFT of FIFA 16 RELEASE DATES, LONDON’
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Very brave editor in these times. I’m impressed she made her own decision (just hope she managed to negotiate an acceptable settlement). I’m quite sure her talents will soon be snapped up by a company that still has some faith in the future. I certainly hope so.
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Where’s John Bryce and his comments then?
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Sorry but I’ll believe the claims about the amazing sales increase when I see the official ABC sales figures. Viewing the paper in recent months it’s difficult to believe tat more people are buying it!
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My first newspaper 20+ years ago and nothing but fond memories of working there. How sad to see its demise as it was an excellent training ground and served the community supremely well. Good luck to Lesley and good for you for making a stand. Hope the senior Newsquest management meet their targets and pick up a nice bonus on the way as that’s what it’s really all about now.
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Wasn’t looking good for the staff at the Romanes Group once Newsquest took them over….the new editor will certainly have his work cut out editing all of these papers…is he a robot?
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Honda is soon to reveal the central national news unit with full computerisation it has developed for Newsquest’s publications, manned only by a Ken Dodd lookalike attendant to oil it and call in the drone it has on call for quick response remedial work when incoming PR handouts get too great.
How lovely is that?
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Good luck to Lesley, she took over at the Chron at an incredibly difficult time, wasn’t afraid to make changes and she and her team took full advantage of Trinity’s decision to close the Post. Her vindication will come when the ABC’s are published next year. Whether the classy character that is Mirrorcracked believes it or not, Lesley presided over YoY growth in the first 6 months of well over 30%. Who knows if that will be sustained in the second half of the year, but give her some credit
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