From Total Politics magazine:
Peter Devine, political editor of the Stockport Express, on Guardian Media Group's plan to centralise weeklies in one office: "Moving political reporting out of areas such as Stockport will leave a huge vacuum, one which will be filled by dumbed-down, out-of-touch coverage by out-of-town reporters. Our newspaper has proved that readers are looking for publications which provide them with a voice, and that is why we have a circulation increase against a backdrop of massive falls in the weekly and regional press."
Mark Dodson, chief executive of GMG regional media: "Most work is done by phone, email and technology. All our reporters will be equipped with Nokia 95s [which enable them to take photographs and record and broadcast video] and laptops, but they'll just be working from one central location. We're not closing a single paper down. Putting it into perspective, Manchester is not a huge place. Salford is just two miles away and Stockport is 11 miles. The further you go the harder it gets, but that's why we have these clinics and surgeries."
Story via HoldtheFrontPage
If the Stockport Express staffer sticks a broom up his arse he can sweep the office while he's at it. Oh well, there's always a job sewing up footballs in Malaysia.
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