Regional publisher Newsquest is to axe 11 editorial roles at a group of daily and weekly newspapers in Essex, the National Union of Journalists has claimed.
The company has embarked on a series of cutbacks over recent months with journalist jobs lost at its centres in Bolton, Warrington, Berkshire and Ayrshire among others.
Now the NUJ says the publisher has unveiled further plans for job cuts at its Essex titles, which include Basildon-based regional daily The Echo.
Other titles set to be affected include the the Brentwood Weekly News, Thurrock Gazette and Chelmsford Weekly News.
According to the NUJ, the jobs under threat in Essex are four features roles and seven photographer posts.
A rep for the local NUJ chapel said: “The loss of photographers will leave just two people covering the entire south Essex region. This includes the Daily Echo titles and a number of weeklies in Thurrock, Chelmsford and Brentwood.
“We will have to rely more and more on submitted pictures, which are often poor quality. If a big story breaks, we will not have the capacity to do the story justice with high quality pictures.
“The move seems especially short-sighted, bearing in mind the company has made a no insignificant amount of money in recent years from picture sales initiatives, such as school supplements, which can only make money from quality, professional, staff pictures.
“The loss of features writers is an insult to our readers. When Newsquest increased the cover price, to try to grapple back lost advertising revenue, the pay-off to readers was a large daily features section.
“This has gradually been whittled down, but with the loss of feature writers, what’s left will be filled with agency and submitted copy.”
Laura Davison, NUJ national organiser, said: “Newsquest’s short sighted determination to undermine its own content continues. The wholesale outsourcing of photographic roles is reckless and callous. The loss of specialist features roles will leave a big hole.
“The skills of experienced people are being thrown overboard on a flimsy pretext. Newsquest should come clean work on its hidden agenda and show some respect for staff instead of continually targeting them.”
The company has been approached for its response to the union’s claims.
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I’ll wait for Newsquest’s response with interest… though I’m still hanging on for one from the last lot of NQ sackings HTFP reported on a few weeks ago.
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so many sudden culls of photographic desks. It’s almost like they’re preparing for a takeover . . .
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Dick. Try and get out more.
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I don’t think Danny Boy needs that concluding “Idiot”. It’s implicit in what goes before – and I agree 1000 percent.
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Please get some proportion here, comparing a the managers of a publishing business to a repulsive fascist terror cult is a little hysterical, don’t you think ?
Surprised the moderator let that through.
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Expect more….
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While papers can obviously no longer compete with social media etc for the immediacy of news, I would have thought that relevant local features and quality, well-composed pics are areas where we really can excel. Good old-school background news features are always a worthwhile read as are in-depth looks at local subjects of all types. Some of the contributed pictures being used now will never sell papers, only fill templates. As for composition, well! It was alarming to see recently on Htfp the Maldon Herald rightly celebrating 60 years (I think) of serving the community – but the front page of their own supplement carried the dreaded firing-squad pic, with the editor and a few staff lined up against a brick wall!
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Newsquest – smashing dreams, jettisoning careers, damaging livelihoods, ruining local journalism, misleading their own readers, betraying their own employees – all for short-term profit. Shame on Newsquest, shame on you
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I think HTFP writers should just have a template ready for these stories now: “Regional publisher Newsquest is to axe XXXX editorial roles at XXXX group of newspapers.
“Newsquest has not responded to requests for comment.”
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More jobs axed at Blackburn including two with close to 40 years service each. And an online reporter just a week or so after it won best online media at the O2 Awards. Merry Christmas eh?
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