Guardian News and Media has said that it may continue making redundancies until June 2009 as part of its move to an integrated 24/7 newsroom in King’s Cross.
On Friday GNM confirmed that 19 journalists have agreed to leave the company so far under a voluntary redundancy scheme. There is no overall reduction in editorial headcount and editorial bosses have said they want to take on more staff with new media skills – which means some established print journalists are taking redundancy.
Press Gazette has been told that over the last year there has been a net increase in editorial headcount of 60 at GNM. A Guardian spokesman said that the ongoing redundancy scheme is entirely voluntary.
Those leaving the paper so far have included veteran Manchester-based correspdondent David Ward – who left this month after 35 years with the company.
The Guardian, Observer and Guardian.co.uk editorial teams are currently spread out around a number of buildings in Farringdon, London.
In nine months they are all moving to one site on a new development at nearby King’s Cross.
The move will be linked with an aspiration signalled by Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger to make the news operation 24/7.
Editorial bosses also plan to move towards greater integration between the Observer and Guardian editorial teams – which are currently almost totally seperate.
A similar merger process has already started at the Telegraph, Sunday Telegraph and Telegraph.co.uk where the business and sport editorial teams of the Sunday and daily print editions have already been largely merged.
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