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Fears for journalists' jobs at Norfolk titles

Journalists at two daily papers in Norfolk are fearing for their jobs after managers announced a “productivity review” to be carried out this week.

Consultants are being brought in at the Eastern Daily Press and Norwich Evening News to measure journalists’ output.

Managers have told staff there are no specific plans for cost-cutting or job losses, but union representatives say staff remain anxious about the potential implications.

The results of the review are expected to be published around the end of January.

Peter Kelley, a committee member for the National Union of Journalists’ chapel at the paper, said: “We don’t yet know whether there are job implications but clearly it’s created a lot of anxiety at what is an unfortunate time of the year.

“When we asked questions about it they told us there is no particular target of savings, they are just looking at it.”

There is mounting speculation among editorial staff that among the outcomes of the review will be a merger of the EDP and Norwich Evening News newsrooms.

The two titles’ sister papers in Ipswich, the East Anglian Daily Times and Evening Star, recently introduced a similar move with the loss of five editorial jobs.

Said Peter: “Clearly there is speculation about it in the office but there is no way of knowing whether that is part of the plan. They weren’t able to give us any information about that.”

Archant Norfolk was approached about the proposed review but has so far declined to comment.

Comments

Hilary Jones (01/12/2008 10:34:41)
If Archant want to save money, why spend the consultants’ fees?

Lister (01/12/2008 11:11:50)
If managers need to bring in consultants to tell them what is wrong with their business, then that says more about the managers than it does the journalists they are supposed to be managing. Sadly, it’s the same in every newsroom – certainly my own. We are being run by people who really do not know what they are doing and should not be let loose within a mile of a newspaper.

Observer (01/12/2008 11:51:24)
There was a ‘productivity review’ at Northcliffe when I worked there – it was called ‘Aim Higher’, but was christened ‘Aim Fire’. And that’s exactly what happened. I wonder how many of these consultants have spent hours on the phone trying to track down a quote or a contact, or half a day in court to get a 400 word splash? None I expect.
These things are not very productive in one sense, but they get the stories and sell the papers. That’s what journalists are for, you fools.

Old Hack (05/12/2008 14:00:54)
We’re not making washing powder or cars in a newsroom. One great front page story can be the result of hours of hard graft and persistence. How on earth can a so called consultant measure that in terms of productivity?
Instead ol looking at reporters’ output perhaps they should measure upper management productivity – far greater savings to be made there.

FirsttotheBar (19/12/2008 13:49:24)
Just kill one title and put it out of it’s misery..

Frank S (01/10/2009 11:47:02)
IFRA consultants come in at £1600 a day. Not cheap and precious little value.