Cumbria jobs toll will hit 40 and 11 posts under threat at Johnston Press in Northern Ireland

HoldtheFrontPage reports today that Cumbria-based CN Group, publisher of the North West Evening Mail and News & Star, has increased the number of proposed job cuts from 30 to 40.
It is expected that 27 of these will go at CN's Carlisle HQ and a further 13 at its subsidiary Furness Newspapers Limited, based in Barrow. CN chief executive Robin Burgess told HTFP: "On the basis of the situation continuing to be dire, we had to propose further cuts."
HTFP also reports today that Johnston Press has confirmed that 11 editorial jobs are at risk as a result of plans to centralise subbing operations across its Northern Irish titles at Craigavon and cut 11 posts. Titles affected by the change are said to include The News Letter, Derry Journal, Donegal Democrat and a number of other weekly papers.
A posted comment on HTFP under the CN Group job cuts story demonstrates the black humour journalists are famous for. It says simply: "New definition of optimism. A newspaper journalist ironing 5 shirts on a Sunday night!!!"