During my 11 years as a staff journalist at The Daily Telegraph, a period which ended in 2001 with voluntary redundancy just as newspapers were beginning the first wave of the seemingly endless cutbacks that have acted as a wrecking ball to the industry, I lost count of the numerous relaunches, new directions, new initiatives and complete overhauls announced by the company during mass gatherings of staff. Each one promised a bright new future, and yet, more than a decade later, it seems they’re still searching for the right formula. There’s little doubt that a digital-only future is inevitable, but I remain to be convinced that sacking a popular editor renowned as a journalist’s journalist, and giving free rein to a “chief content officer” with next to no experience of national newspapers will provide the bright new dawn they crave. We shall see.
Here’s Roy Greenslade’s take on things in Thursday’s Guardian.
