Up to 150 jobs and a series of district offices are under threat of being axed at MEN Media. Up to 39 editorial jobs could go at its weekly titles around Greater Manchester along with a further 39 editorial and 72 non-editorial jobs on the Manchester Evening News, HTFP has learned. It is expected that a combined pool of sub-editors will design and produce the MEN and the 22 weekly titles from the company's head office in Manchester city centre but it is believe no titles are under threat of closure. All district offices except the one in Stockport – home of the Stockport Express – are also under threat of closure. These include sites in Macclesfield, Rochdale, Tameside, Salford and Wilmslow. The company's weekly titles include the Rochdale Observer, Macclesfield Express, South Manchester Reporter, Manchester Metro News, Wilmslow Express, Heywood Advertiser and Middleton Guardian. The National Union of Journalists has reacted angrily to the news. A joint statement issued by the MEN and weekly chapels said: "There is some hard talking to do now. We cannot stomach a pay freeze for the masses alongside bonuses for the top table. "We anticipate real, practical difficulties producing our weekly newspapers alongside the MEN. We fear for local democracy and for the damage to regional journalism. "We are also completely opposed to compulsory redundancies and will not tolerate the sacking of any journalist. Management needs to understand that. http://www.holdthefrontpage.co.uk/Job losses are no laughing matter but I could not help laugh when reading the statement from the N.U.J. saying they “fear for local democracy” following these cuts, are they really implying that GMG publications are guardians of local democracy? Surely that was said in jest because as we all know GMG titles including our beloved Advertiser are amongst the most politically biased newspapers ever produced. Tameside Citizen
9 comments:
“fear for local democracy”
Hmmmm... I have found Brian Lashley's articles based at the Manchester offices to be more fair and impartial when it comes to reporting when put into contrast with the likes of Adam Derbyshire.
Journalists at GMG will be more spread out across a variety of areas. This is bound to have an impact of the quality/quantity of content that the Advertiser readers are used to. However, TMBC wont have an easy point of contact when it comes to drip feeding PR and Ad cash - now that will be great for democracy.
So what are the implications of such a cut? Well I think this gives great opportunity for the Tameside Reporter to flourish and the same goes for local political blogs like these. My guess is that when this does happen, TMBC will crank up the propaganda machine and increase the frequency of the (official) Tameside Citizen distribution.
Citizen journalism is the way forward.
Please TCm warn us about these stories in advance...I fell off my chair laughing!!
All the ass-licking and PC reporting these jerks have done over the years have got them nowhere!!
Good riddence!
Get down the dole. In the Situations Vacant section look under B, for bent journalists.
Absolutely tragic.
Sad for the decent people who work on these politicized rags. Good riddance to the bent hacks who obeyed their political masters.
Taylor's launching a campaign to save the Advertiser. Wonder why? One more crack in the rotten edifice.
The sooner this Marxist rag shuts the better.
Anonymous Steve Zodiac said...
Sad for the decent people who work on these politicized rags. Good riddance to the bent hacks who obeyed their political masters.
12/03/09 18:52
True - normally job losses are unmitigated misery to me, but this case has a distinctly bright side to it. Will the pain be felt at Grauniad head office by Toynbee, Rusbridger et al? I can dream.
People like Polly Toynbee are incapable of admitting they have got anything wrong because the slightest chink in their armour will expose the fact that their liberal, do-gooder philosophy is fundamentally flawed in that it is based on pure idealism and has absolutely no understanding of human nature.
To Let: Commercial retail space, 35-37 Booth St, A-U-L. Oh dear how sad never mind.
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