Acute embarrassment follows memo to Johnston Press editors

One of Britain’s biggest newspaper companies is facing acute embarrassment after one of its managing directors told editors they “should not continue with the old practise of reading every story", writes Paul Watson.

The Johnston Press MD for titles in south Yorkshire also said in the memo: “Editors should evaluate the risk for each story based on content and the seniority of the journalist and act accordingly.”

Press commentators have lambasted the company (see links below) while the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) has called on the Press Complaints Commission (PCC) to look into the affair.

The memo appears to have been written following the introduction of a new content management system for the publication of news in the company’s newspapers and online.

A similar system is already in operation in the company’s titles in the south of England, including the Sussex Express, Eastbourne Herald and Mid Sussex Times.

It is understood the PCC is not making a formal investigation but the fact that it is on the press watchdog’s radar will be making people very uncomfortable at Johnston’s Edinburgh HQ.

Johnston Press strongly supports the PCC and adherence to its code of conduct became part of the employee’s contracts of employment some years ago.

There are a couple of things worth pointing out:

1. The editor of a newspaper is legally responsible for the content. It is the editor who is hauled up in front of the judge in cases of contempt of court and can end up in jail.

Editors are summonsed to appear in court for breach of reporting restrictions and the name of the editor usually appears on any libel writ.

Can’t happen?

It does. I can think of three Sussex editors who have appeared in court while many others have been investigated – even arrested - by the police at some stage in their career.

I doubt that a memo from a managing director will any way shape or form alter the fact of legal responsibility.

2. There can only be a handful of editors who read every word in a newspaper before publication.

I used to do my best with the editorial – but the ads were impossible to check in that detail.

However, I had a raft of sub editors to check and edit copy and I would try and look at the ads at the final proof stage too.

The new content management system means that the sub-editing stage of newspaper production in Johnston Press has been largely swept away.

Reporters can now write their stories direct to page. “A right first time” policy is in place.

It’s a policy that is hard to argue with but I can assure you that, in my experience, sub editors and the editor (me) have stopped some pretty nasty libels/breaches of reporting restrictions getting into print.

Maybe, reporters took risks because they knew their work would be checked.

Their attitude needs to change under this new system and they certainly need new skills to enable them to satisfactorily check their own copy.