LABOUR - RECORD JOB LOSSES ‘TERRIBLE BLOW’

Iain Gray today said the news that the Daily Record and Sunday Mail are to cut 90 journalists jobs was ‘a terrible blow to Scottish journalism’ and the staff and their families.

Iain Gray MSP said:  

"The loss of so many jobs at the Daily Record and Sunday Mail is a terrible blow for journalism in Scotland.

"It is a Scottish institution and plays a huge role in public life. Apart from grave concerns about the impact on the quality of journalism at the papers, it must be an awful shock for staff and their families, especially at a time when the economy is in such a state."

Patricia Ferguson, Labour’s spokeswomen for Culture and External Affairs, said:

"To see the staff of Scotland’s two best-selling newspapers cut in half overnight is devastating news for the journalists involved and a massive blow for Scotland’s media as a whole.

"The Daily Record and Sunday Mail have played a major role in Scottish life over the decades.  

"I hope management can work with unions to explore possible alternatives and minimise job losses."

Johann Lamont, Labour’s deputy leader at the Scottish Parliament, said:

"This is a great shock for all of us in Glasgow and a terrible blow for those who work at the Daily Record and Sunday Mail and for their families. It must also have a very significant impact on the capacity of these important Scottish papers to play an effective part in keeping people informed and entertained. 

"Glasgow and Scotland can ill afford the loss of these high quality jobs in these tough times – and the impact and value of effective journalism in our communities must be diminished. I trust  there will be every effort made by Trinity to think again about these brutal cuts."

8 June 2011