Hacks in the City: Jim Oldfield versus John Fry at Johnston Press financial meeting in London

Jim Oldfield (top left), the editor of the Johnston Press-owned South Yorkshire Times who has been made redundant during a strike by NUJ members, confronts Johnston Press chief executive John Fry outside the company's financial results meeting in the City of London today.

The Johnston Press meeting at Deutsche Bank in London Wall was called to present the company’s interim results. Johnston Press has just announced a drop of 47.4% in pre-tax profits.

NUJ members – now on the 42nd day of an indefinite strike – are taking action at the Johnston Press-owned South Yorkshire Times, Doncaster Free Press, Selby Times and Epworth Bells over job cuts, office closures and increased workloads.

The striking South Yorkshire journalists delivered a petition from thousands of readers protersting at the cuts to Fry, who is standing down as chief executive of Johnston Press and is to be replaced by Ashley Highfield, from Microsoft UK, in November.

Michelle Stanistreet, NUJ general secretary, said: “The new Johnston Press chief executive Ashley Highfield has a huge repair job on his hands. The NUJ challenges him to show the sort of leadership required to turn the group around and enter into talks to end the South Yorkshire Newspapers strike and stop further damage to the newspaper titles and company.”

Pics via Lawrence Shaw