The NUJ has spoken out about the shock felt by its members at big cuts at Channel 4 News.
Channel 4 has said that its More 4 News and News at Noon programmes will cease broadcasting at the end of this year. It claims that savings from these changes will enable it to invest in its main 7pm bulletin and to improve online news coverage.
The union is calling on ITN, which is contracted to produce the shows, to ensure that nobody is forced out of a job as a result of the cuts.
NUJ general secretary Jeremy Dear said: “The severity and scale of these cutbacks have come as a real shock to the journalists working at Channel 4 News. Managers say these moves are about protecting the prime-time news bulletin, but it’s hard to see how the extent of the cuts won’t have an impact on overall quality.
“In its public pronouncements Channel 4 has been quick to stress its commitments to quality news and current affairs, and has claimed that these cuts are to enable it to invest elsewhere in news. If the money is being invested in other news services, why are so many journalists’ jobs under threat?"
He added: “Our members expect ITN and Channel 4 to do all they can to avoid any compulsory job losses and to ensure that any cuts don’t add to the workload of staff who remain."
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