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Subs, who nerds them?

Posted in Media, Arif Durrani, Latest reporters' blogs July 3rd, 2008 by Arif Durrani

Trinity Mirror has become the latest publisher to consider sub-editors an extravagance they can live without in the emerging world of integrated operations.

The group has just announced 11 sub-editing roles will go across its national newspaper division to make way for a ‘central production unit’ sitting behind the Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror and the People.

The move comes as the Mirror Group scrabbles to cut costs as investors lose confidence in its ability to make money; its share price slumped almost 30 per cent at the start of the week after forecasting lower than expected profits for 2008.

Trinity has said it hopes to remain “as competitive as possible” during “a challenging media environment and difficult economic climate”.

Today’s announcement follows a trend of making cuts at the cost of the subs team. Last year, David Montgomery, chief executive of European newspaper giant Mecom, said the birth of digital mobile reporting would “free” journalists from the “humdrum roles” of sub-editing.

He accused subs of living in a “twilight world”, checking things that didn’t need to be checked. Something which UK regional publisher Archant is also banking on, after letting go of eight subs at the start of summer.
I suspect these unsung heroes of quality production will be missed.

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