A former regional daily editor now running a county news website is among those under threat from Trinity Mirror’s latest round of newsroom cutbacks, it is understood.
HTFP understands Gloucestershire Live editor Jenny Eastwood’s job has been put at risk of redundancy following TM’s announcement on Thursday that up to 49 journalism roles could be cut across England.
The National Union of Journalists claimed on Friday that 37 of the positions affected were based in the Midlands and Liverpool, but said changes proposed for Bristol and the other centres in the South-West of England were “still emerging”.
HTFP revealed on Tuesday that Gary Phelps, editor of six West Midlands titles, is set to step down following the restructure.
Trinity Mirror has declined to comment, or provide a regional breakdown of where the affected roles are based, but it is understood Jenny’s position is among those at risk.
Jenny edited Gloucester newspaper The Citizen, which switched from a daily to a weekly in October last year along with the Gloucestershire Echo.
At around the same time, Echo editor Matt Holmes was made redundant in a TM management restructure in South-West England in which Bath Chronicle editor Rachael Sugden was promoted to senior editor in Gloucestershire, taking on editorial responsibility for the county’s entire print and digital portfolio.
Jenny was given the title of digital editor in Gloucestershire, reporting to Rachael, as a result.
At the time, TM said Jenny remained a “senior member” of the management team, and was responsible for the day-to-day management and growth of the Gloucestershire Live website in her new role.
Jenny began her career on the Lincolnshire Echo in 2002 and moving to The Citizen as assistant editor and head of news in July 2008, following an eight-month stint as features writer and assisting commissioning editor at the Press Association in London.
She was promoted to editor in 2013.
Trinity Mirror has declined to comment on Jenny’s situation, but a 30-day consultation period with affected staff on began on Thursday.
On the same day, the company announced a digital rebrand of seven Midlands dailies, as well as the Bristol Post and Bath Chronicle.
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If this is true – major staff changes just four months after the last reorganisation – it suggests one of three things: a) TM’s corporate strategy is being made up as it goes along; b) savings need to be made following the Express Group acquisition; or c) TM’s revenue stream has worsened considerably since the end of last year.
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Ouch!
u turns and indecision rules, it was only in September that she took up the current role, a role she’s now likely being axed from
Anyone ‘promoted’ At TM these days certainly can’t count job security, the support of their bosses or longevity as part of the benefits package, however knowing their track record of reviews followed by cuts and closures she shouldn’t be too surprised at the way they make changes and u turns to suit themselves, even to long standing employees like Jenny
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“Gary Phelps, editor of six West Midlands titles.”. says it all about state of newspaper industry.
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No-one was more passionate about transforming the Citizen into a digital-first brand than Jenny Eastwood, yet here we see TM sacrificing her skills and enthusiasm in yet another round of cuts barely five months since the axe last swung over staff in Gloucestershire. A clear indication TM simply has not got a clue what it’s doing.
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For what my opinion’s worth, as a former Trinity Mirror editor, I’d say One-time sub (above) is pretty spot on with their assessment of TM’s continued rolling shambles of an attempt to run newspapers.
In Trinity Mirror’s defence, however, I would say they sometimes have good ideas, albeit largely from the shop floor. Sadly, the execution of those ideas is often so far removed from the original plan that it ends up becoming the inevitable and repeated p***-poor car crash that makes a joke of our once proud industry.
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@Darren Parkin. Thirty years’ experience of the regional press teaches you all about people at the top who don’t appear to have a clue about what they’re doing – or at least give the impression in public that this is the case.
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Ah, another expensive cost unit bites the dust. Because to TM, that is all they ever are.
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If you live by the sword of accepting jobs your colleagues have been removed from then you must accept your time will come to be dumped too.
Job cuts and lack of long term prospects can’t come as any surprise to anyone promoted within the bigger media groups these days where the cheap and quick option has replaced the quality and sustainable ones.
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