A weekly editor whose newspaper is threatened with job cutbacks has published the story on its own front page.
The Mexborough-based South Yorkshire Times is among a series of titles affected by plans for up to 18 job losses at Johnston Press subsidiary South Yorkshire Newspapers.
Its editor Jim Oldfield is among those whose jobs have been placed at risk of redundancy under the proposals, which will see the Times, Goole Courier and Selby Times come under a single editor.
But Jim today said he made no apologies for keeping readers in touch with the changes being proposed.
He said: “This is real journalism in action. The Times is currently fighting a brave and protracted battle to keep its core towns from decimation during this recession, I make no apology for acquainting our readers with the changes being proposed for their champion title.
“I am pleased that the company appear to have had an adult reaction to the story.”
National Union of Journalists’ members at South Yorkshire Newspapers are already balloting for industrial action over the cutbacks.
The union today congratulated Jim, who is an NUJ member, for putting details of the proposed journalist job cuts on the front page of the newspaper.
General secretary-elect Michelle Stanistreet said: “This is a great example of our members standing up for quality journalism and we hope other editors will follow the example set by the South Yorkshire Times.”
NUJ northern and midlands regional organiser Chris Morley added: “So often news about local job cuts and industrial action are given prominence in local and regional newspapers – except when those newspapers are the subject for these.
“It is time editors stopped self-censoring their newspapers for fear of displeasing the corporate owners who are robbing them of the editorial resources to produce their own newspaper and website.
“I congratulate the editor of the South Yorkshire Times for being prepared to carry out his duty to the community his newspaper serves. It is important readers know the facts about the cuts and that Johnston Press hear from the staff and communities affected by the cuts.”
Jim, a former staffer on The Sun in Manchester and Yorkshire district reporter for the Daily Mirror, has been editor of the South Yorkshire Times since 2009.
South Yorkshire Newspapers managing director John Bills said today: “We can confirm that we have received industrial action ballot papers from the NUJ South Yorkshire Newspapers chapel.
“This follows on from the recently announced proposed restructuring of the Advertising and Editorial Departments affecting 18 full time equivalent roles across three companies in the region.
“In accordance with our policy we will consult extensively on both an individual and collective basis prior to implementation of the restructuring.
“During this consultation process we will consider alternatives, examine ways of mitigating the effects of this proposal and address any other issues that may arise.
“In the event that this proposal goes ahead, the company will endeavour to minimise the impact of the proposal through voluntary redundancy and re-deployment to alternative positions within the company and the Group.
“We are disappointed that the NUJ have decided to take this action prior to the conclusion of these talks.”
- The South Yorkshire Times front page story, bylined “by the editor” read as follows:
“Journalists at South Yorkshire Newspapers are to ballot on strike action after a proposal by the company to axd half of the Mexborough editorial staff at the South Yorkshire Times.
Under the proposal, the editor, an editorial assistant and a reporter are proposed for redundancy among the staff of six.
If ratified, the Times will once more be edited by staff of the Doncaster Free Press, who ran it between 2006-2009 when its circulation fell from some 6,500 to around 4,000.
Since 2009 it has been run from Mexborough – durnig which time the inherited circulation losses were stemmed to make the title South Yorkshire’s best-performing paid-for newspaper last year with an average loss of 3.3pc.
On Monday, journalists voted unanimously to ballot for action over the plan.
The proposed redundancies are part of an intended cutback of 18 advertising and editorial roles by parent company Johnston Press across South Yorkshire and North Derbyshire.
Including the Mexborough three, the plan would yield a total of five editorial cuts across South Yorkshire, the others coming in Doncaster and Goole.
A company spokesman said: “Following a detailed review of the editorial and advertising department stuctures, South Yorkshire Newspapers has announced plans to create a new multimedia editorial hub in Doncaster.
“The recently announced plans will allow the South Yorkshire Times and its sister titles to meet the challenges faced by newspapers in today’s very tough economic marketplace.
“These proposals would mean a reduction of 18 full time equivalent advertising and editorial roles across three businesses in the region, placing a number of positons at risk. However there are currently eight full-time equivalent roles vacant across the business and company will be working to encourage deployment into other roles wherever appropriate.
“The company will be endeavouring to minimise the impact of these canges on staff while working to ensure that the South Yorkshire Times continues to serve the interests of the people of Mexborough and the surrounding area.””
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Principles don’t pay the mortgage but at least some of us can look ourselves in the mirror when we ge up in the morning.
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What a stiring plank… it’s not just editorial jobs up for the cut!
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Quality!
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“Advertising” has a point – this proposal does indeed apply to both advertising and editorial jobs – everyone is in the same boat here unfortunately.
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Hats off to Jim – bringing some guts and pride back to the profession. And as far as ad jobs being cut too – you never hear of those selfish preeners doing anything for anyone else, let alone standing up to management like this. Let the golden hued, botoxed harpies ride on Jims coat-tails and stop whingeing.
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Those sort of comments do nothing for getting support from all sides. For too long there has been this “us and them” attitude between advertising and editorial. Some reps are damned good at their jobs and deserve to keep them. Some reporters and editors are good at their jobs and deserve to keep them too.
In the same way that there are poor reps and poor reporters.
When jobs in all departments are at risk, the last thing anyone needs is sides being drawn or a session of finger pointing trying to apportion blame.
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Apportioning blame does no-one any good. Solidarity among departments is what’s needed.
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Let’s face it, Jim Oldfield could’ve done a lot worse. His editorial said what has needed saying for a long time. We need to stop Johnston Press destrpying the South Yorkshire Times, and merging it with the Doncaster Free Press, which, I firmly believe is their eventual aim.
Jim, I tip my hat to you Sir.
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“when we ge up in the morning”…
“What a stiring plank”…
“harpies ride on Jims coat-tails”…
“Those sort of” …
This website is for journalists and deserves better comments. Read what you wrote before sending it.
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I bet the people whose jobs are never at risk loved it when they heard about this one, probably the only time they’ve picked up the paper to read it in months (if JP are typical newspaper bosses).
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Few things in the world of journalism anger me more than the fact newspapers don’t run stories about themselves, with honourable exceptions such as this.
The series I work for has made frequent redundancies in the past few years, but more damagingly, it has become absolutely routine not to replace any member of editorial staff who leaves.
If the bosses decide to recruit a replacement for any staff member who departs, those of us left behind are made to feel like we should be eternally grateful for such generosity.
Almost anybody who works for a local or regional newspaper will have stories similar to this, but it makes me so angry that my company cannot be open and honest and convey even an inkling of what is going on to its readers.
Apart from anything else, these are legitimate news stories, about people who live in the area covered by these titles being made redundant.
If a reader phones me up in indignation that we have not covered a particular event or meeting in their town/village, I want to explain that instead of having five reporters covering two papers, like when I joined just three years ago, we now have three reporters running three papers and three websites, and that if we manage to get out of the office, it is only to inhale a precious few gulps of fresh air before being securely fastened to our desks again.
But of course I can’t say this, because besides trade websites such as this, and the occasional column in the media section of a national, the world simply isn’t allowed to know how perilous a predicament local and regional newspapers find themselves in, and that editorial staff at these papers are in a far more vulnerable position than postal workers, doctors, nurses, teachers, police etc.
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