Ted Harding quits SBP! Why?

vinnyfitz

This is bad news for the Business Post.

Anyone know where he is going?
Did he jump or was he pushed?

From RTE business news:

NUJ shock at Harding's departure from SBP
October 27, 2004 17:00

The NUJ has expressed its shock and dismay at the sudden departure of the Sunday Business Post editor Ted Harding.

The journalists' union said that Thomas Crosbie Holdings, which owns the newspaper, and the paper's management have refused to disclose the reason's for the editor's departure.

The NUJ said it had received explicit guarantees from TCH of the Sunday Business Post's editorial independence at the time of the newspaper's acquisition in 2002.

It said it was seeking an urgent meeting with TCH group managing director Anthony Dinan to discuss recent and future developments at the newspaper.

Thomas Crosbie Holdings also owns the Irish Examiner.

chewy

The NUJ said it had received explicit guarantees from TCH of the Sunday Business Post's editorial independence at the time of the newspaper's acquisition in 2002.

independence from what

Hobart

chewy wrote:

The NUJ said it had received explicit guarantees from TCH of the Sunday Business Post's editorial independence at the time of the newspaper's acquisition in 2002.

independence from what

From influence by the examiner group in its editorial lilt/tilt.Aparently this was not the case.

BTW he was'nt pushed, and he did'nt jump, he walked. Fiachra O'Riordan, the SBP chief exec made the announcement to staff yesterday at 12:00 noon. Apparently the news was greeted with shock and surprise from most of the staff, not least those in the editorial department who had no inkling that something was afoot (a tad ironic i guess).

Ted came up through the ranks in the SBP and had a hard act to follow following the departure of Damien Kiberd in 2000 (01). By all accounts he was a popular Editor and ran a fairly tight ship. A new Editor will be recruited soon and applications are been accepted both internally and externally.

vinnyfitz

Despite Harding's success in building the paper up he seems not to have been given extra resources by the lads in Cork (to hire more journalists for example). You could call that passive editorial interference.

The test of independence will be whether the new editor is from the Examiner stable?

I'm not surprised they are looking externally for candidates. I can only think of one potentially suitable internal candidate.

Hobart

vinnyfitz wrote:

Despite Harding's success in building the paper up he seems not to have been given extra resources by the lads in Cork (to hire more journalists for example). You could call that passive editorial interference.

I heard last night of direct editorial interference over the last week. Hence the move from Harding.

vinnyfitz wrote:

The test of independence will be whether the new editor is from the Examiner stable?

That will be the most interesting aspect of this. I would put my house on the staff not wanting a TCH canditate getting the job.

vinnyfitz wrote:

I'm not surprised they are looking externally for candidates. I can only think of one potentially suitable internal candidate.

As per the chapel rules they must advertsie both internally and externally. Who do you see as the suitable internal canditate?

star gazer

It's been a balanced and insightful paper, the less change in editorial direction the better.