Subs are so 20th century, says Archant
JOURNALISTS at Archant’s daily newspapers in Ipswich are up in arms about plans to replace sub-editors with lower-paid and untrained staff.
Archant has announced “more than 20” redundancies at the East Anglian Daily Times and the Ipswich Evening Star, and a plan for subs’ work to be handed to advertising designers who are not trained journalists.
Sub-editors at the papers earn over £26,000 a year, while the designers’ maximum salary is £18,500.
Archant will not say exactly where the redundancies will fall.
Six reporters have left the Evening Star this year without being replaced and the company has announced a pay freeze.
NUJ reps at the paper are warning that, as well as lowering the quality of the papers’ content, the papers will run the risk of costly legal actions.
Martin Chambers, Father of the NUJ Chapel, described the plans as “a kick in the teeth” to journalists who attracted praise for their coverage of the Ipswich murders.
“The Daily Times has just been voted Regional Newspaper of the Year. Staff are being thanked by having their wages cut and losing their jobs.
“The use of non-journalists to lay out newspaper pages is a recipe for disaster. Without legal and journalistic training, they will have no idea of the potential pitfalls and the consequences could be catastrophic.”
He added: “The company says that training is not needed to produce the newspaper. Perhaps the plan is to produce a newspaper without journalists.”