Staff at the Cambridge Evening News today passed a vote of “no confidence” in the management, following the departure of editor Murray Morse.

They claim bosses at the paper wanted to appoint a group editor above him.

Around 70 “dismayed and disappointed” journalists decided to make their voices heard after Murray left following the decision.

He cleared his desk on Friday, as we reported on Friday afternoon, and messages, mostly of support, have been posted below our story.

The staff say, in the wording of their motion, that Murray would have been responsible to the new recruit for editorial decisions, which they claim “clearly left him feeling his position as editor was no longer tenable”.

It said: “His departure has left people feeling shocked, unsettled and uncertain about the future.

“We would ask that the company responds to our concerns by releasing a full and frank statement about the rationale behind the senior editorial changes that are under way.”

The staff meeting also convey that those in attendance had no confidence in the management of Cambridge Newspapers for the way the matter had been handled.

A statement released after the meeting said: “We wish to go on record as saying that Murray was regarded by us as an excellent editor, as well as a popular and supportive colleague.

“Why does the company feel it necessary to introduce a further tier of editorial management in this way? Surely the extra cost of the additional post will put unwarranted pressure on the budget, which we are repeatedly told is already stretched?

“The launch of the Sunrise edition, coupled with the staff shortages that have been prevalent in the editorial department recently, have imposed severe additional pressures on everyone working in editorial.

“We have, we believe, coped with that pressure to the best of our abilities, and are proud of the newspapers we are producing.

“Murray’s leadership has not only played a key role in enabling this to happen but has also inspired a very large number of awards for our publications.”

The management in Cambridge have so far been unavailable for comment.

Comments

Concerned Reader (21/04/2008 15:03:31)
Under Morse’s editorship the Evening News was heading firmly into Daily Mail territory, with frequent attacks on travellers, immigrants, and the ‘loony left’. Some sort of editorial control over this would have been desirable. Readers in their thousands have been put off by Morse’s editorial policy – I for one am looking forward to more balance and less paranoia in my local newspaper.

oh come on (21/04/2008 18:01:30)
I’m sure lots of genuine “concerned readers” log on to this website. But if they did, they might praise the On the Buses and A14 campaigns, not to mention the cancer appeal. Oh yes, and the stack of awards won under Murray’s stewardship. I wonder how we managed that if he’s as incompetent as he’s being portrayed by some replies to these two threads.

Concerned Reader (21/04/2008 19:13:19)
Do you not consider it feasible that one or two readers may also be journalists? If you look carefully you’ll see I was not questioning his competence – and I’m not sure readers care about awards, to be honest.

Interested onlooker (21/04/2008 20:54:19)
It’s interesting to note concerns at CEN over the introduction of an extra tier of management in a climate of increasing belt-tightening.
Murray’s apparently less popular predecessor Colin Grant took a sideways step to become the group editor of sister news group Herts & Essex Newspapers (also part of Iliffe Media). Three years on, his position appears to have had little if any impact on the editorial running of any of the group’s newspapers, beyond maybe seeing its titles become even more anodyne. From what I am led to believe, the justification of the salary involved in such a high-level job, lies in non-replacement (or very slow replacement) of exiting staff and the three redundancies that were part of his masterminded reshuffle – a reshuffle that had ‘nothing to do with finance’ but was to improve the running of the group’s titles. It does seem instead to have led to a greater workload on already stretched staff resources and further reduced morale. As it is difficult to perceive any further benefit to Herts & Essex News from an expensive group editor tier, it will be interesting to see if Mr Grant is welcomed back into the fold at Cambridge as its new group editor to work his magic there.

philip johns (21/04/2008 23:41:09)
The freshness that Murray brought to the Cambridge News has long since disappeared in a cloud of dust from the A14, in the boredom he engendered with his obsession over congestion charges, and his misue of the Freedom of Information Act to enlicit answers to questions that for most of the time were pointless.
I remember when I first went to work in Oxford many years ago , I inquired, naively, as to the whereabouts of the university, not realising of course it was omnispresent But at least I inquired about its presence, unlike Murray who seems to have ignored its presence, and influence,and has paid the price. Last week, for instance, whilst Murray was chasing FoI requests, most people in Cambridge, town and gown, were fascinated by the research into the kidnap plot involving a former Prime Minister. I won a bet that it would appear, down page, well inside the paper, as it duly did.
Murray created a humourless and unsatisfying paper and, of course, he had to go.
Maybe the brave hearts of Iliffe will now opt for someone who can happily mix town and gown, and reveal, in its all complexities and wonders, the real Cambridge and not a mish mash of tabloid trivia.
My only surprise is that it took so long for the axe to fall.
Unconcerned reader

Ray Marshall (22/04/2008 12:04:58)
Murray was excellent at Newcastle and I’m sorry to hear the news, but knowing Murray I’m not suprised on him making a standv

Liz Ledger (22/04/2008 12:38:08)
One of Morse’s lowest points surely must have been the disgusting “doorstepping” of Syd Barrett at the time of Live8, at which Syd had declined to join his former band, Pink Floyd, on stage. Syd had a camera pushed in his face by the CEN journalist as he tried to escape on his bike, and was depicted as bonkers and selfish in the accompanying text. Syd’s fans AND the ordinary decent people of Cambridge found this harassment of an ex psychiatric patient, living his own life in his own house with no trouble to anyone, distasteful in the extreme. A storm of protest resulted in CEN’s prompt about-turn, with a grovelling article following shortly after, describing Syd as a musical genius, and a similarly sycophantic double page centre spread appeared when Syd actually died (which, I’ve noticed on this talkboard, Morse actually boasted about getting as some sort of “scoop”). I’m sure many CEN readers are glad to see the back of this most unsavoury editor, and hope for the improvement in the standard of journalism in the CEN.

Concerned Reader (22/04/2008 13:23:58)
Oh I’d forgotten about the Syd episode … yes, pretty low.
My personal Murray moment was the ‘evil’ 17-year-old caught selling a bit of dope to his mates. The CEN couldn’t name him, so waited until his 18th birthday – six months later – to do so.
I understand the courts were not too happy about that one.

I am a journalist (22/04/2008 13:33:27)
I don’t have any connection to the Cambridge paper or Murray Morse, but I just wanted to make the point that newspaper awards should be taken with a pinch of salt. In my experience they normally go to the paper which diverts resources from news gathering and subbing and aims those resources specifically at an award. The award-winning edition is often not representative of the paper’s performance week-in and week-out.
The person who said the readers don’t care about awards is right. They don’t and they shouldn’t.

Concerned Reader (22
/04/2008 13:45:24)
I think the massive discrepancy between (former) colleagues’ views on these two threads, and those of readers, is very telling. Perhaps the CEN should commission a poll of readers to see what they think – if those at the newspaper are brave enough!

Newsman (22/04/2008 14:20:31)
I had the privilege of working with Murray in Wales and have the greater privilege of calling him a mate.
During our time in Wales we produced some of the best papers and coverage in the Argus’ recent history. Much of that was down to Murray.
He is a true journalist’s journalist – the support he has had from his staff on and since Friday only goes to emphasise this.
He won’t be long out of a job and any paper that takes him on will be all the better for it.
He’s also – editors who still have a training budget note – a great trainer of, and inspiration to, reporters.

Anne Garvey (22/04/2008 15:51:45)
It’s hard to see why this Editor has been sacked. THe CEN under his editorship has been a good solid community newspaper . I don’t think doorsteppng Syd Barratt – much less ignoring the antics of Cambridge University students from 1960 are sacking offences – the University are not remotely interested in anyone in Town Cambridge so why should we care two hoots about them and their goings on – today or 50 years ago.
I wish the Editor luck and have one suggestion for the current administration – bring the newspaper office BACK into Cambridge and re-connect with what is going on here – rather than mouldering on an industrial estate three miles from any action!

Tabloid fan (22/04/2008 16:33:38)
The fact you can remember the “evil 17-year-old drug dealer story” two years on shows it was a decent tale, well-done and well-presented.
If i remember rightly, the prosecutor said they were making £5K a week (a bit far-fetched perhaps) from fellow six-form students, so well-worth telling.
That one of them turned 18 before he was sentenced meant (sadly for him and his middle-class parents), he could be named and shamed.
Well done to Murray and the News for refusing to be cowed by over-officious magistrates and a police investigation, which was quickly dropped when they realised the CEN was entirely right.