The next editor of a leading city daily must rebuild “morale and pride” among its journalists after they snubbed an industry award, according to a journalism lecturer.
As reported on HTFP last week, members of the Leicester Mercury’s NUJ chapel have called for the paper not to defend its newsawards Regional Daily Newspaper of the Year title in protest at recent photographic cuts made at the paper.
Commenting on the story, University of Gloucestershire lecturer Paul Wiltshire said the paper’s next editor needs to prioritise “rebuilding trust, morale – and pride.”
Editor Kevin Booth left the paper for “personal reasons” at the end of last week and the role is currently being advertised on HoldtheFrontPage.
Paul, above left, is a former deputy editor of the Bath Chronicle and spent the past two years training journalists at former Local World titles in the South-West of England before leaving the role earlier this month.
Writing on his personal blog, he said: “The ad lists a host of vital skills and priorities, but perhaps misses the most important. Rebuilding trust, morale – and pride – should go straight in at number one.”
“It is a very sad day when journalists stop feeling pride in their work and in their products.”
Paul said the decision by the Mercury’s NUJ chapel could be viewed as “odd” at first glance, but he added: “I think the whole point of the chapel’s protest is that they are cutting off their noses to spite their faces. The sacrifice is what makes it all the more powerful.”
Four photographers left the Mercury ealier this year in a radical restructuring of its picture desk operation.
Rob Irvine, editor-in-chief of the Manchester Evening News, is in interim charge at the Mercury while a permanent replacement for Kevin is found.
Paul told HTFP: “I wrote the blog because I thought the Mercury staff’s protest was a really interesting one. I have huge sympathy for them, but also for all editors and senior managers trying to square all kinds of financial circles in challenging times.
“I realise I have the luxury of not having to make those sort of agonisingly difficult decisions.”
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It’s hard for journalists to take pride in their work when the owners put little or no value on quality anymore,with everything cut the bone and churn and getting the job done as quickly and as cheaply as possible is all that matters. pride trust and respect have to be earned, it can’t just be doled out or taken as a given.
When those in charge and who have reduced newsrooms to pale imitations of what they once were in terms of staff numbers,experience and high morale lead from the front and instill those qualities the rest of the staff will no doubt follow.
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Paul is wide of the mark here if he thinks awards are the way to restore morale and pride. Just because a paper, editor or particular reporter (you all know who you are) is labelled “award-winning” on htfp, doesn’t make them exceptional. It just means they are good at getting awards (or in the case of some editors, diverting staff from normal work to produce that award-winning feature design). We all know people who are brilliant at passing exams but little else. Awards are not the industry standard we should be aiming for. They are a diversion for the ego merchants. Decent staff numbers (with excellent photographers), strong, respectful, encouraging leadership, good working conditions, humour, competitive story-hunting….the reader at the heart of all editorial thinking. That’s the way to maintain or improve morale. It’s still possible even in these heartbreaking times and I’m sorry to see an industry educator so fixated by meaningless baubles.
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Words are cheap and whilst the better editorial staff have great personal pride in their work,the remit of ‘shovel it out as quick and at as low a cost as possible’ doesn’t encourage pride or trust, certainly morale is as low as I can remember it in over 35 years in the business and no wonder when you know those allegedly running the business are only interested in bottom line figures, not top quality work. I suggest mr Wiltshire directs his comments at the owners and publishers not the staff.
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Agree with all said here. Managers at some companies almost seem to hold their front-line workers (i.e. those with specific media skills who actually produce the profit-making products) in contempt. I guess this is because if you see no need for high quality, then those employed to deliver it are just unwelcome items of expense in the accounts. We saw true trust, morale and pride in the Your Local Paper piece last week, and that way the future lies – small, fit-for-purpose outfits free of the legions of non-performers who are the real cost burden in this industry.
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You’re absolutely correct, Deben journal scribe. He’s aiming his comments at the wrong target.
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I don’t see it as a lack of pride in their work. It is a statement against the swingeing cuts in staff being made throughout the regional press. For me it says that they already have pride in their work but that the management strategies are demeaning the end product and that ultimately the reader is being cheated.
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If the publishers, board,owners, suits call them what you will pay lip service to providing a quality product but are driven by profit and cost saving efficiencies above all else, how can you expect the staff at the sharp end to take pride in what they do. Many loyal hardworking staff are very proud and conscientious about the level of their work and strive to keep up standsrds and deliver good work but those qualities are of no value when a cheapo cheapo get the job done policy is firmly put in place.
Naive piece by Paul Wiltshire who has aimed his blog piece at completely the wrong market
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To paraphrase Ian Hislop, if my blog is an attack on the staff of the Leicester Mercury, I’m a banana.
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Paul Wiltshire
Then address your comments to the media owners not the hapless incoming editor who will be working to a strict brief and sure as bananas are yellow it wont be to prioritise quality and pride over cost controls
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I think P Wiltshire has missed the point again!
its not about “attacking the LM staff” its the fact that youre aiming your “advice” at the incoming editor when you should be addressing the media owners.
whoops banana skin time
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Rob’s a good bloke. I suspect he’ll step up to the challenge.
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I’ve read the job description for the new editor and (apart from being surprised it was being advertised at all) I fancy applying. It says you only work 37.5 hours a week.
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