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Newsroom and picture desks merge at Plymouth titles

By Press Gazette

Eight more jobs are to go at Plymouth-based titles The Herald and the Western Morning News after owners Northcliffe announced the merger of newsrooms and picture desks on the titles.

In a statement the company said: ‘A review of how we operate the news and picture departments at The Herald and Western Morning News has been completed.

‘It has been decided each title will merge these functions within their respective newsrooms.”

The change does not mean reporters taking on photographic roles but relates to the management of the departments.

A separate review of South West Media Group’s commercial editorial department has also been carried out following last year’s decision to convert the Torquay Herald Express and Exeter Express & Echo, resulting in a further two job losses in the commercial editorial team.

All commercial editorial activity will now be organised individually by each title.

In March 2010, 30 editorial jobs were cut on Northcliffe’s West Country titles as the Western Morning News and Western Daily Press were largely merged.

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Long serving Western Morning News editor Alan Qualtrough left the company in March 2012.

The decision to take the daily newspapers in Torquay and Exeter weekly last year led to more than 20 editorial redundancies.

EDITOR’S NOTE: An earlier version of this story carried an inaccurate headline stating that The Herald and Western Morning News were to merge. Today’s changes involve the merger of functions within the respective newsrooms.

Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog

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