Fairfax Media rolls out new newsroom model
By Pam Graham
March 18 (BusinessDesk) - March 18 (BusinessDesk) - Fairfax Media New Zealand is rolling out a new model for its
newsrooms nationwide and regional newspaper editors are disappearing in favour of regional editorial managers based in
Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.
Fairfax Media says it will have larger teams working on video, social media and the Stuff Nation website, which asks
readers to contribute stories.
““We’re investing in our people and systems to reinvigorate our newsrooms, strengthening our ability to deliver news and
information,” Sinead Boucher, Fairfax Media’s executive editor, said in a statement.
Journalists will package their stories with video, images and links to encourage interaction with readers in an
editorial and production process that will be driven first by the needs of digital platforms rather than traditional
printed products.
Seven jobs are being disestablished and 12 new senior roles are being created, focusing on audiences in local regions or
in specialist content areas.
The changes, trialed in Southland, are being rolled out nationwide in coming months.
The restructuring involves a reshuffle of senior managers, according to industry sources. The role of newspaper editor
has been slowly disappearing and three editorial managers exist below Ms Boucher, one for the Auckland region, one for
Wellington and one for Christchurch. These direct reports to Ms Boucher are former newspaper editors who now have a
wider regional role.
The roles disappearing are expected to be editors in smaller regional centres.
Under the newsroom changes journalists will edit each other's stories more.
In February the Australian parent, Fairfax Media reported little-changed first-half earnings of A$86 million, excluding
the impact of A$56.6 million of redundancy and impairment costs that arose from the struggling trans-Tasman publisher's
efforts to reinvigorate its future.
The Sydney-based, ASX-listed firm said its New Zealand print and online operations had outperformed a weak local
advertising environment, with advertising revenue down by 6.2 percent in local currency terms on the prior period.
Ebitda for the New Zealand operations fell 18.8 percent because of one-off printing transition expenses.
Fairfax Media has two national, nine daily and more than 60 community newspapers, 25 plus magazines, and publishes the
websites stuff and essential mums.
(Businessdesk)