The National Union of Journalists has called the closure of the Liverpool Post a “shocking blow”.
Earlier today, publisher Trinity Mirror announced that the 158-year-old regional would be ceasing publication on December 19th, claiming the region “no longer generates the demand in terms of advertising or circulation” to sustain both the Post and its sister title, the Liverpool Echo.
Chris Morley of the NUJ
Chris Morley, the NIJ’s Northern and Midlands organiser, said: “The closure of The Post, as a freestanding publication, will snuff out a great and influential voice for Liverpool.
“It’s a shocking blow to the city at a time when it needs champions. The NUJ was sceptical when the title was converted from a daily newspaper into a weekly format. We didn’t believe it would generate the revenues necessary in a difficult market.
“That said, we have a responsibility to ensure the passing of the Post does not take with it journalists’ jobs. To that end we hope the company’s declared intention to boost its weekend newspaper and digital publishing yields strong results and keeps journalism flourishing in the city. We will be working hard to make sure our members get the best outcome from this announcement.”
Michelle Stanistreet, NUJ general secretary, added: “It is a tragedy for the city and for the journalists that such an iconic title of such long standing has been closed down. It seems unbelievable that Liverpool cannot sustain a daily as well as weekly.
“It also sends alarms bells ringing for the consequences of the trend at Trinity Mirror and other newspaper groups to convert dailies to weekly production.”
Post editor Mark Thomas confirmed on Twitter that there would be no redundancies as a result of the news, saying “all will be offered new roles at Trinity Mirror”.
He added: “It has been a privilege to edit the Liverpool Post for the last seven years. This is without doubt the saddest day of my career.”
The NUJ’s Trinity Mirror Merseyside Chapel said it hoped the affected staff would be given “suitable” roles.
It said: “The loss of the Post diminishes Liverpool as a leading press centre. We are deeply saddened to see the closure of a title with a proud history of campaigning journalism. We welcome the news that there will be no compulsory redundancies and are now working to make sure that all staff are given suitable roles on the Echo.”
