No News… just paper
“I work with such a creative group of people, right across the country. And despite the difficulties that we are heading into, we don’t intend in any way to slash and burn. We have a business that is built around journalism; it’s built around being creative. And while we certainly have got to cut our cloth, we’re certainly not going to throw the baby out with the bathwater.”
- News Ltd chairman and chief executive John Hartigan accepting the 2009 Walkley Award for Journalistic Leadership, November 27, 2008.
In the months since John Hartigan made those remarks News has sacked more than 100 journalists across Australia. Among those shown the door are reporters, photographers, sub-editors, production personnel and editorial assistants. It may not be Hartigan’s idea of “slash and burn” but it is a very painful reduction in journalism resources - one that begs how the group can maintain its newspapers with fewer journalists on the ground to cover, write on and produce the stories.
There’s no doubt that the media is undergoing an enormous transition. See the recent story on The 7.30 Report (http://bit.ly/HXhKN) for News Ltd group editorial director Campbell Reid’s take on the problem: “I think people who think that the internet is responsible for the death of newspapers are searching around and blaming the wrong person. Poor management, poor newspapers, I think are responsible for the death of some newspapers.”
The loss of 100 skilled professional journalists means News Ltd newspapers, and therefore the readers, have lost centuries of skills, knowledge, experience and wisdom. The downsizing of journalism risks undermining the business. For instance, in Hobart The Mercury lost 15 journalists (from an editorial staff of about 80) in one hit - 15 people representing a combined total of well over 300 years of journalistic experience.
Since December the company had been approaching people quietly, offering redundancy to some, with no repercussions if they rejected management’s offer. But now the company is targeting individuals, which leaves many feeling uncertain about the future.
The Media section of The Australian has hinted at further job cuts, through the nationalization of six print features a week - a move that kills off the dedicated features produced by each paper to serve their local communities.
Some of the journalists who have been forced out of the company volunteered to accept a redundancy. Others were given no choice, particularly if they were employed on Howard Government-era Australian Workplace Agreements. AWAs have many inferior conditions to those enjoyed by people who work under the collective agreement.
News Ltd journalists deserve to be treated with respect. Respect for their livelihoods, respect for their careers, respect for the many years of work they have put in to ensure top-notch stories are delivered to the public, day in, day out. Instead, News Ltd has shown some of their longest-serving journalists the door.
News Ltd newspapers are being eroded, downsized and nationalised. Instead of serving each local community, News Ltd is opting for a “one-size-fits-all” approach.
News Ltd was quick to find fault in Fairfax Media last August when it announced 150 editorial staff would be sacked. Now it’s News Ltd’s turn to demonstrate that it’s sincere when it says it has “a business built around journalism”.
After all, if you take away the journos from a newspaper and what are you left with? No News… just paper.
News Ltd newspapers and editorial services affected by the redundancies thus far:
The Australian - national
The Weekend Australian - national
The Advertiser - Adelaide
The Courier Mail - Brisbane
Cumberland Newspapers - NSW
The Gold Coast Bulletin - Gold Coast
The Gold Coast Sun - Gold Coast
The Herald Sun - Melbourne
MATP production services - Sydney
The Northern Territory News - Darwin
Production for The Courier-Mail, The Sunday Mail and Quest community newspapers - Brisbane