Regional publisher Trinity Mirror has announced plans to streamline its production operations in South Wales putting 22 journalists’ jobs at risk.
Ten district office staff, eight production journalists and four sports staff are set to lose their jobs in the cutbacks at Cardiff-based Media Wales.
The plans envisage the introduction of a single production team for news and features across the Western Mail, South Wales Echo, Wales on Sunday and all weekly titles.
Trinity says this will mean a reduction in the number of full-time roles in the editorial production department and the
introduction of a new, part-time system.
In addition, production of the Celtic weekly titles will be restructured with what Trinity is calling “an increased focus on
community-generated content.”
The publisher said the proposed changes are expected to entail a reduction in the Media Wales editorial team by approximately 22 full time staff.
Managing director Alan Edmunds said: “Media Wales continues to face tough economic challenges in 2011 and this trend is expected to continue for the foreseeable future.
“By proposing these changes we believe we will be better positioned to deliver first-class print and digital content to our readers and advertisers and to protect the Media Wales portfolio of local and regional newspapers.”
Members of the National Union of Journalists chapel at the Cardiff-based titles have passed a motion expressing their “shock” at the scale of the cuts.
Father-of-chapel Martin Shipton said: “We shall be entering an intensive period of negotiation with management to mitigate the damage to our members’ livelihood and the newspapers we produce.”
The motion calls for immediate talks between the union and management over the proposed cutbacks and authorises the chapel committee to organise a strike ballot if necessary.
It also calls on Trinity Mirror chief executive Sly Bailey and her fellow directors to volunteer for a pay cut in order to save some journalists’ jobs.
Sign up for our free daily email bulletin
Follow HTFP on Twitter
Got a story? Email the Editor at
“an increased focus on community-generated content.” !?!?!?!? UGC? Whatever, cheap and nasty and potentially libellous. Nonsense as usual from the industry. Sadly, very sadly, newspapers can’t support so many salaries. There is no way out. They are trapped.
How can making a product worse possibly ensure its’ future? Controlling costs is one thing, but ripping the quality out of the newsroom is a recipe for disaster. Either produce a good newspaper or get out altogether. You’ll just end up with something akin to a the worst sort of free-sheet which goes straight in the recycling.
Report this comment
That’ll be the end of one of the daily newspapers, then. How can the Western Mail and the South Wales Echo both survive when they are published at the same time and are soon to be produced entirely by the same staff?
Report this comment
Isn’t it time the UK’s cabal of corporate publishers admitted the game is up and relinquished control of their creaking empires?
Their demented view of what constitutes a reasonable return on sale has driven a wrecking-ball through the entire industry.
Now their blind greed has convinced them it’s okay to get non-journalists to work for free and fill their papers with god only knows what while making increasing numbers of skilled editorial staff redundant.
They don’t deserve to be in charge of this industry any more.
Report this comment
Er, possibly because one covers Cardiff and the other covers the whole of Wales, Casper…..
Report this comment
We have UGC at our office. It’s rubbish and takes ages to sub because it’s not done by proper journos. Good look fighting this Martin thought it might be Canute tryng to hold back the tide
Report this comment