Devastated staff at Reach have been reacting to the news yesterday that there would be 450 redundancies at the publisher.
Some say they have been in tears at their desks, while others fear for their mental health.
As rumours swirl about where cuts will be found, Reach’s Chief Digital Publisher, David Higgerson, did confirm that they would not be ending print titles.
“We remain committed to our print titles right across the North,” he told Prolific North.
Jon Robinson, the North East Business Editor at BusinessLive confirmed that his was one of the roles impacted and that while he hoped to stay within the Reach group, he was now “officially open to new opportunities.”
Reach is expected to announce more details about where cuts will fall in editorial town halls scheduled for next week.
This is likely to include bringing digital and print content items together at a regional and national level, with newsrooms being, according to Higgerson, “future audience-led” – ie digital first.
I have cried so much today. Six out of the eight hours of my shift I’ve shed tears.
— Laura Hartley (@LauraHartley03) November 8, 2023
I feel pretty numb. My role on the women’s football team has been cut, as has the secondment I’ve been on.
The future is petrifying but I’m a big believer everything happens for a reason. https://t.co/MZCGcN4RXw
I've been thinking a lot about this comment since it did the rounds yesterday. Working for Reach was one of the worst things to happen to my mental and physical health, and as awful as redundancy is, I couldn't be happier to have lost my job earlier this year. https://t.co/pMQGssUeE0
— Danny Rigg (@DannyWRigg) November 9, 2023
