Toronto Star to outsource copy editing; layoff 78

Posted by Betsey Reinsborough on November 25, 2009 at 4:21 PM

Due to their restructuring earlier this month, the Toronto Star has cut 78 editing jobs, reports Bloomberg. The 117 year-old paper has just announced that it is outsourcing all of its copy editing to Pagemasters North America, a provider of editorial services owned by The Canadian Press. The switch will save the paper C$4 000 000 annually.

The 78 staff that are to lose their jobs constitute a fifth of the employees at the Star. The newspaper currently employs 390 on its editorial staff and a total of 1 300 employees. The layoffs will not affect reporters, columnists, or photographers.

The employees' union representing the Star, the Southern Ontario Newspaper Guild, has been given 30 days to come up with a viable alternative to the outsourcing. If they fail to do so, the layoffs will begin as early as January.

Included in a memo to staff from editor in chief Michael Cooke, "at a time of unprecedented business nightmares facing the Star and our industry, and despite the many operational challenges associated with outsourcing, we believe there are sound business reasons for this proposal."

The layoffs are economically motivated. Revenue for the Toronto Star's parent company, Torstar, fell by 13 percent last quarter. This fall in profit has already forced the paper to resort to voluntary buyouts and early retirement packages, the outcome of which will determine whether there will be any additional future layoffs.

According to Cooke, "When we have seen the result of the VSP [voluntary separation plans], we will know and communicate any changes that brings to decisions about staffing levels."

These layoffs at the Toronto Star, Canada's largest newspaper, follow the announcement of layoffs at The New York TImes, The Washington Post, and The Guardian.

Source: Bloomberg