At the beginning of December, the London Evening Standard made a number of significant job cuts. Sub-editors were the worst hit. The move came as little surprise owing to the fact that the role of sub-editors has been long debated, particularly in our current harsh financial climate. Indeed, media commentator Roy Greenslade deemed them "a layer in the publishing industry, which can be "eliminated".

However, latest reports by the Guardian tell of London's number one freesheet looking to outsource a considerable amount of subediting to the Press Association, at its editorial pages service in Howden, East Yorkshire. This would include the subediting of entertainment and recruitment sections.

Outsourcing subediting is not uncommon practice, with The Glasgow Herald and the Evening Times just some of the Press Association's high profile clients.

Of the news, Press Association managing director, Tony Watson said: "We are delighted to have these prominent titles as customers of an increasingly important service for the industry. We offer the reassurance of pages produced with customers' values, style and standards and, particularly important in the current economic climate, cost benefits made possible through economies of scale".

Source: Guardian