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news


Iconic newspaper group under fire for laying off dozens of employees


THE NUJ has strongly criticised Iconic newspapers over massive cutbacks and has called for a more robust attitude to media ownership by Ireland’s Department of Communications. The union is demanding that


further media takeovers by FormPress Publishing and Iconic Newspapers, which are owned by UK businessman Malcolm Denmark, should be subject to scrutiny. The company has laid off


dozens of journalists, made a number of editorial staff compulsory redundant, temporarily shut two newspapers and maintained a significantly reduced staff to work on the remaining titles and websites. Despite NUJ opposition, the company decided to lay off


PAT STOCKLEY


dozens of editorial staff rather than apply for the government’s coronavirus temporary wage subsidy scheme on their behalf. However, the NUJ understands that the company applied for the scheme for those who remained working. This followed written assurances by Denmark to staff that the company was in a stronger financial position than most to deal with the crisis. FormPress has also imposed compulsory redundancies


and these appear to have been inflicted on journalists with less than two years’ service. This means the company does not have to pay people under statutory redundancy terms and instead is required to pay only for the notice period and any outstanding wages and annual leave owed. Ian McGuinness, NUJ Irish


organiser, said: “It is abundantly clear that FormPress is financially healthy. “While, like all companies, it will


have suffered a financial shock due to the coronavirus crisis, it has decided to act in the most cynical manner to inflict misery on our members during this crisis, during which we have all seen how quality journalism is needed now more than ever.


“FormPress has exploited the crisis, using it as an


opportunity to get rid of some employees permanently and cheaply. It has also moved to temporarily slash its wage bill by forcing lay-offs of some editorial staff and refusing to apply for the wage subsidy scheme for those employees. “This has left those individuals with no choice but to


claim social welfare, so the Irish state will have to pick up that bill.”


“ Jewish News is back in business


JEWISH News is back and being published as usual after a rollercoaster period when its plans to merge with the Jewish Chronicle failed and both papers went into liquidation. Their owners said the


coronavirus crisis had forced the papers into liquidation


before a merger could be finalised. The Kessler Foundation, which owns the Chronicle, had submitted a bid to the liquidators to buy both of the papers’ assets and merge them into one title. This would be edited by Jewish News editor Richard Ferrer.


Then, a consortium of business and media people made a larger offer than that by the Kessler Foundation. The new consortium includes: Sir Robbie Gibb, the BBC’s former head of political output and an ex-director of


communications at Number 10; former Panorama journalist John Ware; and broadcaster Jonathan Sacerdoti. After the merger plans


were thwarted by the new bid, Jewish News’ owner Leo Noe took the title out of liquidation and agreed to fund its ongoing operations.


THE COUNCIL of Europe Platform for the Protection of Journalists’ annual report for last year recorded 142 serious threats to media freedom. These included 33 physical attacks against journalists, 17 new cases of detention and imprisonment and 43 cases of harassment and intimidation.


04 | theJournalist


intimidation in an attempt to control and silence journalists in Europe The physical attacks included two killings


– Lyra McKee in Northern Ireland and Vadym Komarov in Ukraine. Only Slovakia showed progress in the fight against impunity after the


FormPress has exploited the crisis, using it as an opportunity to get rid of some employees permanently and cheaply


Ian McGuinness NUJ Irish organiser


Attacks show rise in attempts to silence journalists The analysis shows a growing use of


country indicted the alleged mastermind and four others accused of murdering the journalist Ján Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kušnírová. At the end of 2019, the platform recorded


105 cases of journalists in prison in the Council of Europe region, including 91 in Turkey.


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