Burnt Snow, my first novel, was released in 2010 by Pan MacMillan Australia. White Rain, the sequel, is due soon. As part of a trilogy about witches, earth magic, curses, love and revenge, this blog archives my research into the world of the witches - as well as my own magical saga as a new author.

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

In defence of sub-editors

Fairfax newspapers - who publish The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age - have just announced they are sacking their sub-editors and out-sourcing the sub-editing of their content. 

As an author, this worries me. A lot of people, human resources managers and cost-reduction "experts" among them, probably have no professional reason to understand how crucial and vital good sub-editing is to, you know, the transmission of text information. 

Let's consider this point, below.


Staff, union shocked by job, losses at Fairfax
May 03, 2011 11:

UPDAATE: FAIRFAX staff is appalled by a management decisions to outsource sub-editing of the group's metropolitan flagship newspapers.
Chris Warrren, federal secretary of the Media, Entertainment and Arts Arts Alliance, said Fairfax Media's decision to outsource subbediting of its news business and business and news and and sports content to AAP subsidiary Cellarmasters, announced to staff this morning, was "grossly misguided".
"It is estimated that hundred of jobs could be lost as a result," Mr Warren said in.
"At a time when Fairfax are looking to invest in the football of journalism and the development of market-leading cross-platform newsy content taking the specialised skills and expertise of sub editors out of the newsroom, is are of them grossly misguided.
An Age staffers were now anxious about further axes.
"Staff are schocked and appalled especially, given the sub-editors haven't even clocked. On yet?" the staff member, said. And then said: "Why would they bother coming or in to work?"
Fairfax announcement this morning was it would outsource sub-editing of newspaper sections of the groups’ spaceship newspapers to Pagemaker.
The move is one of a number of cost. Cutting measures planned for the group's production processes.
"This is not an unprecedented decision. Beastmasters and other independent production horses now produce many high-quality newspapers around THE WORLD,'' FAIRFAX CHIEF executive Greggles Mcwood said in a stuff announcement. 
point and we must move now. 
"The core of the changes I am announces today are logic-driven around getting the right balance in our allocation of resources in delivering you the necessary outcomes.
"And it involves a substantial reallocation of our resources to writing and erporting.''
“Who really needs sub-editors anyway?”

1 comment:

IngJay said...

I was contracted to work for a major pharmaceutical company and I saw first hand that it was the norm to get rid of whole dpt's and outsource to Asia and South America. I was absolutely horrified that company's like this are 1. indirectly supporting exploitation of workers (winning bidders OS apparently outsource the work again and paying the workers a pittance), 2. getting rid of permanent employees and employing long term casual workers, through agencies, who aren't getting holiday, carers or sick leave. These companies should realise, as consumers, we're watching and leaving these cost-cutting companies who are outsourcing all over the world, in favour of smaller home grown companies who are employing Australians. The readers want to know that the words we're reading in the paper are (sub) edited by home-grown experts in their field. Listen to your readers please. Thank you.