Cullen: pulled out of Glasgow deal
Peter Cox, editor of the Daily Record, is an angry man after being told Lynn Cullen, picture editor of The Independent, will not be joining his newspaper after all.
The Record has been expecting her to join since August. But Cullen is to stay to run a seven-day picture operation after Andy Blackmore, picture editor of The Independent on Sunday, and Deborah Keeping, deputy picture editor of The Independent for the past two years, were both made redundant.
Cox said he was told that Cullen, who had recently been to Glasgow to spend time at the Record and assured him she was joining the paper, was not coming by a member of Independent News-papers management.
His own picture editor, Stuart Nicol, is due to leave in January for a similar post at The Mail on Sunday.
Part of the Cullen deal with the Record was that she should take with her Patrick Blandford, who had been freelancing on the Independent picture desk.
Cullen was picture editor of the News of the World before going to The Independent.
At the paper’s Marsh Wall headquarters, sources say that editor, Simon Kelner has made strenuous efforts to persuade Cullen to stay, giving her a new title and responsibility.
The features picture editor, Sophie Batterbury, has become associate picture editor on the Sunday’s picture desk, reporting to Cullen.
Daily picture desk No.3 Guy Simon is now doing Batterbury’s job in features and photographer John Voos has been brought off the road onto the daily desk.
Blackmore was at the newspaper for four years and was deputy picture editor of The Independent before that. He was previously night picture editor at The Guardian.
Cullen and Kelner were unavailable for comment.
By Jean Morgan
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