Writing, reporting and editing skills are no longer enough for journalists working for the Guardian and Observer newspapers in Britain.
Guardian News and Media denies it is ditching experienced print journalists in favour of web-savvy younger staff, reports Press Gazette.
But it hopes to enroll all 800 of its staff journalists on a voluntary "digital awareness programme" ahead of its move to a a new high-tech 24/7 integrated newsroom in London's King's Cross at the end of this year, reports Brand Republic.
The one-day course teaches basic video and audio and web publishing skills.
It's the smart thing to do — especially for a newspaper like the Guardian.
Drop in readership
The Guardian has suffered the biggest year-on-year drop in readership numbers among the British national dailies.
It was read by an average of 1,121,000 people between January and December 2007, down 10 per cent from the previous year, reports Brand Republic.
In fact, the staff have been told to expect job cuts as the company reshapes its operations over the next 18 months to focus on digital media and move to new offices this year.
The Press Gazette reports:
So far, 19 journalists, some of whom have worked at the papers for more than 30 years, have already either left or signalled their intention to leave in the next year as part of a voluntary redundancy scheme.
Guardian News and Media managing editor Chris Elliott said he expected between 30 and 40 editorial staff to leave as part of the process by the time the scheme closes in June 2009.
He admitted that the company was now seeking journalists with online journalism skills but denied that would mean “dumping” long-serving print-era journalists who are willing to make the transition to online.
“Experienced print journalists who want to stay with us and go the journey, we will give them every assistance to move into the new media skills.
“We’ve got a whole range of people, particularly who are aged 60 and 65, who have made it clear that they don’t want to take the journey or to move to King’s Cross.”
Personally, I am not surprised at the drop in the readership. Though I still check the online newspaper every day, I find less and less to read in it. The Comment Is Free section, for example, is no longer half as interesting as it used to be. The New York Times has far more content and is much more interesting. That may be comparing apples and oranges because the two newspapers are from two different countries. But it’s often said British newspapers are superior to American newspapers. That’s not true.
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