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NUJ voices concern over Trinity Mirror ‘Connected Newsroom’ plans

Martin-Shipton150The National Union of Journalists has voiced ‘grave concern’ over plans for a fresh newsroom shake-up by regional publisher Trinity Mirror.

As reported on HTFP yesterday, the publisher has launched a new initiative called ‘Connected Newsroom’ which aims to build on its ‘digital first’ strategy rolled out last year.

It will mean increased use of audience data along with the introduction of individual and team audience goals to ensure editorial resources are focused on the most popular content.

Trinity Mirror says the move is “not about cutting or creating jobs” but admitted there would be “a handful” of redundancies on its Manchester, Huddersfield and Welsh titles along with the creation of some new roles.

In a statement this afternoon, the NUJ put the number of editorial job losses at the group’s Cardiff-based Media Wales division at four.

As well as voicing opposition to the proposed cutbacks, the union has also expressed concern at the introduction of individual website ‘click targets’ for journalists.

Martin Shipton, left, chair of the NUJ’s Trinity Mirror group chapel, said: “Once again Trinity Mirror has announced a development of its newsroom model in tandem with job losses.

“The group’s strategy for audience growth is based on greatly increasing website clicks – yet reducing the number of writers will make that more difficult to achieve.

“We are extremely concerned by the potential implications of setting individual click targets for journalists.

“At its worst, this could encourage reporters to sensationalise stories, to trivialise the news and make news out of trivia, and to give up on more challenging, public interest journalism that takes time to research and deliver.”

The Trinity proposals include using audience data to switch resource from the least popular to the most popular content.

The group also wants to introduce individual and team audience goals to ensure journalists are “working on the right stories at the right pace.”

However the union is asking for “firm assurances” from the company that it remains committed to quality journalism.

Added Martin: “The trust built up with communities over many years will evaporate quickly if we abandon their concerns in favour of generic, celebrity-focused ‘click bait’.”

Laura Davison, NUJ national organiser, added: “This jargon laden announcement has set alarm bells jangling once again over the plans for more individual ‘audience goals’ for journalists which will make sure chillingly, that they are ‘working on the right stories at the right pace’.

“Future news content will be seemingly be decided on the basis of a popularity contest, but the ‘brand values’ cited are undefined. There needs to be proper tough analysis of these proposals before any steps are taken to roll this out.”

Trinity Mirror has yet to respond to the NUJ’s comments.

In a statement issued yesterday, it said the key aim of the initiative was to facilitate local audience growth, with “increased use of analytics and trends analysis to focus on producing content that audiences want to read.”

17 comments

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  • September 9, 2015 at 6:08 pm
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    It sounds like a good idea to me. If figures show a particular story is doing well online, why shouldn’t more effort be put into making that story better? Give the audience what they want.

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  • September 9, 2015 at 10:50 pm
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    “At its worst, this could encourage reporters to sensationalise stories, to trivialise the news and make news out of trivia, and to give up on more challenging, public interest journalism that takes time to research and deliver.”

    2008 called, it wants its concerns back.

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  • September 10, 2015 at 7:25 am
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    So, after years of rejecting claims that clickbait was all that mattered – Trinity Mirror has admitted that is now ALL that matters.

    Wait for the constant kitten videos and listicles – and no decent news whatsoever.

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  • September 10, 2015 at 8:40 am
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    ‘What this NUJ supremo said about Trinity Mirror will shock you to the core!’

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  • September 10, 2015 at 8:51 am
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    It’s nice to hear that the NUJ is as concerned by the mind-boggling strategy of Trinity Mirror as the rest of us.
    But, seriously, the union’s membership is as in steep decline as our newspaper sales figures.
    It’s just another voice, with little or no power. that will be ignored like the rest of us.

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  • September 10, 2015 at 8:56 am
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    “The NUJ has voiced grave concern…” So what? As a very late entrant into newspaper journalism I am told that the union held some sway in the “old days”, but I fail to see how such a disempowered workforce can hope that its representatives can do anything other than “voice concern”, a futile gesture at best. Has one sacking been stopped by the NUJ in the past three years, for example? I think we should be told.

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  • September 10, 2015 at 9:14 am
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    Dick. The NUJ got a sacking of an individual overturned last month but you are correct that when it comes to mass layoffs I have found it to be less than helpful.

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  • September 10, 2015 at 9:20 am
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    Dick Minim, if more people joined and backed the NUJ, the more clout it would have. Sitting and sniping from the sidelines can only be counter productive. I would fully recommend anyone coming into the industry right now to seek out their rep. The union’s role now is probably more important than it has ever been.

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  • September 10, 2015 at 9:41 am
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    It is very easy to criticise the NUJ, but a union can only ever be as strong as the will of its members.

    Sooner or later comes the crunch and the decision as to whether take the redundo or turn and fight.

    With the lure of lucre winning hands down, Trinity Mirror et al will continue to do exactly as they wish.

    I am not in any way criticising those who chose to leave the sinking ship that is regional journalism with a little money in their back pockets, but it is a little rich to berate the NUJ for the situation.

    By the way, anyone who believes that this new “click-lt” journalism will save the industry is in he wrong business.

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  • September 10, 2015 at 9:42 am
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    OK, Desker’s put me right on one point and I’m grateful – well done the union. But cast aside accuses me of “sniping” when I’m pointing out that “voicing concern” is what many posters do here, to equally little effect when it comes to staff culls. I also note that the young reporters in my own office earn peanuts after working hard for degrees and post-grad journalism qualifications. Indeed, one of my neighbour’s sons is earning more than any of them as a supermarket deli assistant manager and he’s barely got a GCSE. What can the union do about that? Voice more concern, I guess.

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  • September 10, 2015 at 9:49 am
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    I remember the 1970s. All the compositors (printers) in our newspaper company were in a union ie NGA, Natsopa, etc. Consistently, they received higher wages than those who were NUJ journalists (the printers showed me their wage slips).
    The national press ranted on about closed shops, union dictatorships, Trotskyite stooges etc etc.
    But the printers’ wages put money into the local shops, there was a .proper career path for their children, and a more optimistic spirit in the community.
    Today, all this is gone, of course. All you seem to have is fast food takeaways (here today, gone tomorrow), charity shops, zero hours contracts, and a thriving drugs industry.

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  • September 10, 2015 at 10:15 am
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    I have to agree with cast aside. The only way to achieve anything is through strength. Sure, the NUJ isn’t perfect, but it is a voice and the stronger the better.
    The main problem is the past is that employers have been given a clear run at keeping down pay, eroding staff conditions and ultimately slashing jobs, purely because of the unwillingness of employees to take direct action.

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  • September 10, 2015 at 10:22 am
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    @JeffJones – like it! But in the brave new digital world of Baffling Random Caps*, surely that should be:

    What This NUJ Supremo Said About Trinity Mirror Will Shock You To The Core!’

    *someone please explain this to a mystified old luddite.

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  • September 10, 2015 at 11:05 am
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    Websites won’t pay the bills. Best of luck cheapening your brand. TM will be dust in ten years.

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  • September 10, 2015 at 11:54 am
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    Concerns over public interest journalism are interesting.

    If the public are showing an interest in content this will be reflected in audience analytics

    If they are not then surely it’s not of interest to the public anyway

    Give people what they want, don’t waste time on content nobody is interested in, not matter how worthy we think it is

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  • September 10, 2015 at 12:42 pm
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    The public gets what the public wants … was Paul Weller prescient?

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