Some staff at the Plymouth Herald are concerned about the recent introduction of CCTV cameras in the newsroom.
Trinity Mirror, which acquired Plymouth Herald in its takeover of Local World Media in 2015, said that the cameras have been installed for the “safety and security” of staff.
It is understood that four cameras have been installed in total. One faces the main entrance to the office (there is no CCTV camera in the main reception area itself) and another faces the rear exit. The other two are placed at the reporters’ end of the office, in two corners.
A source told Press Gazette there had been no communication about the installation of the cameras.
They said: “Staff are understandably concerned who will be looking over our shoulders as we work. If this is meant to be for our security then why haven’t they installed them in the reception, the area where we usually first encounter members of the public?”
“One (of the cameras) sits right over the sports reporters desk, looking out over the rest of the reporting staff while the other in the other corner covers the remaining subs, features staff and news editors…”
A Trinity Mirror spokesperson said: “We have an obligation to ensure the safety and security of our staff.
“Security measures are being installed at entry and exit points. This is to monitor and control access in and out of our sites. Only Trinity Mirror’s security team have access to camera footage and other access information.
“The installation is a roll-out of existing measures we already employ across the group.”
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