Dear urges editors to speak out on cuts

NUJ general secretary Jeremy Dear has urged editors to speak out over cuts to their editorial staff. Dear wants editors to make a stand at the Society of Editors' conference which opens in Bristol tomorrow.
He said: "We believe that journalism matters and are calling on the Society of Editors to join us in resisting the cuts that are devastating our industry. Editors are journalists too, and they can show they care about the future of the press by fighting for editorial investment to shore up news organisations so they can weather the economic storms ahead.
“Whether broadcast, in print or online, the news media need to demonstrate their quality if they are to survive the economic downturn and come out the other side. They might not admit it, but editors know the scale of cutbacks we’re currently facing will damage newsgathering abilities and the quality of the finished products.
“It’s time for them to come clean about whether they think shareholder profit or quality journalism comes first.”