Grim news from The Guardian. The newspaper which never fires anyone said today it will cut 180 jobs, 70 of them editorial.
Revenues are expected to be down more than £25 million — an “unsustainable financial outlook” says the statement to staff.
The chief exec says she is consulting on job losses, so presumably some of them will be compulsory. I think it is true that The Graun has never done compulsory redundancies before, certainly not of more than one person at a time.
The hacks eye view of The Guardian is that it’s a great place to work precisely because you don’t get fired, though it might have more than a bit of dead wood it could afford to lose.
It will be interesting, if sad, to see who does go.
In the past, newspaper job cuts have tended to focus on the poor bloody infantry – often junior reporters who don’t get paid that much.
The grand leader writer — a man of letters since 1922 who could be relied upon for a solid 250 words a week – he always survived.
He’s got to go this time, I fear. But hopefully not the headline writer responsible for these gems https://somuchguardian.tumblr.com/: “Help! Is my quinoa killing the planet?” “My toddler is vegan.” And: “There is no reason to debate guacamole.”
The Guardian insists it will remain free to read and will eschew the paywall model adopted by The Times and others.
Good. But maybe that reader’s voluntary donation idea needs just a tweak. And I hear it has a lease on its building until 2030. A building that was already too big.
To repeat an old point getting newer by the day. When there’s no hacks left, to whom are the flaks going to pitch?