Andrew Jaspan says journos ‘badly let down by management’ in Fairfax editorial shake-up
Andrew Jaspan, editor of academia-meets-journalism website, The Conversation, has slammed Fairfax Media’s editorial management shake-up, which saw editor-in-chief of The Age, Andrew Holden, depart.
In an editorial posted on The Conversation, Jaspan said Fairfax, which publishes The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and The Australian Financial Review, had been “badly let down by management”.
“Fairfax has been badly let down by its management, who are largely bereft of an editorial vision. And since they had no clue, they outsourced that job to management consultants Bain & Co, who recommended replacing well-paid reporters with trainees to reduce costs,” he wrote.
Jaspan was a contributor to The Age’s weakening. It’s obvious that the weird editorial management imposed recently is another step in the wrong direction but those who saw his work up close know Jaspan is not the one to be offering advice.
As the remarks in today’s profit announcement demonstrate Hywood has one strategy which is to pump his mate’s real estate business. The idea that quality news media has long term value has never occurred to Hywood or his cabal of overpaid thespians.
I think The Conversation is definitely part of the solution, but so is an increased role for our public broadcasters. As commercial outlets turn to popular, cheap, click-bait journalism, there is a serious need to increase taxpayer funding for quality journalism.
I am trying to think of something Jaspan achieved at his time at the AGE but the only thing I can come up with is declining circulation and a culture of blame. Not sure what qualifies him as a commentator as he has not achieved anything since he moved to Melbourne all those years ago. Fairfax sure has its problems – that’s true. Cannot see that jaspan ever had any solutions.
“… journo’s let down…” as in one journo is let down at Fairfax or one journo is let down at mUmBRELLA by poor headline editing?
Definitely the latter. Unfortunately, for Fairfax journalists. Thanks for the pick-up.
Suzan – managing editor, production, Mumbrella