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Former Observer editor Jaspan sacked as Australian newspaper cuts bite

By Dominic Ponsford

Former Observer editor Andrew Jaspan has been sacked after four years as editor of The Age in Melbourne.

Executive from parent company Fairfax Media Don Churchill said: ‘Andrew has been a highly successful editor. He has delivered great papers and has done a magnificent job in reinvigorating The Age.

‘He has our thanks and appreciation for all he has achieved in the past four years. Under Andrew’s editorship, The Age benefited from an innovative redesign and consistent, strong growth in circulation and readership, and agenda-setting journalism. ‘The Age was named Newspaper of the Year by PANPA in 2007, one of the industry’s highest honours. The company is discussing with Andrew the ways his skills and expertise can be made available within the company.

‘The company has decided that for this next critical stage of The Age we would have fresh editorial and executive leadership.”

Night editor Paul Ramadge has been made editor.

Before moving to Australia Jaspan edited the Sunday Herald for six years after launching it. He has also edited the Sunday Times Scotland, Scotland on Sunday, The Scotsman, The Observer and the Big Issue.

The Australian reported today that Fairfax plans to shed 550 jobs at its papers in Sydney, Melbourne and New Zealand – or five per cent of the total workforce.

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Some 60 journalists are expected to go from the Sydney Morning Herald and 50 from The Age in Melbourne.

Fairfax chief executive David Kirk said: ‘Media companies fit for the modern media world need to be lean and agile.”

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