Business & Money
Swedish daily slashes workforce

Swedish daily slashes workforce

Published: 4 Feb 10 13:08 CET
Updated: 8 Feb 10 15:30 CET
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/24788/20100204/

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Dagens Nyheter (DN), the Swedish daily newspaper, has announced that it is slashing 100 jobs after a year of continued losses, according to a report in Dagens Media.

Staff and unions have responded with dismay at the news.

"We have known for a while that we have had financial problems. But this landed like a bomb. I can not understand what has happened now to make this necessary," Hans Arbman, chairman of the local union branch, said to Dagens Media.

Sweden’s newspaper of record, Dagens Nyheter, has reported losses of 97 million kronor ($13.3 million) with costs per staff member running at 850,000 kronor.

Most of the staff cuts will affect editorial staff and follows a tough austerity programme launched by the Bonnier family-owned flagship publication in the autumn.

Gunilla Herlitz took over from industry veteran Thorbjörn Larsson on November 1st, becoming only the second woman to lead the firm.

Herlitz was brought in to wield the axe after a long period of decline, and since her arrival major changes within the editorial staff have occurred.

The news that 100-120 of the newspaper's 580 strong workforce are to go was communicated to staff at around 11am on Thursday morning. The lay-offs are to affect 60-70 editorial staff, with the remaining cuts primarily targeting sales and administrative employees.

Dagens Nyheter is part of the Bonnier family concern. Founded in 1864, the newspaper's stated editorial position is "independently liberal".

DN is Sweden's largest morning newspaper with a circulation of around 340,000.

Since the middle of the 1990s competition has intensified in the Swedish media sector with the advent of the internet, free newspapers, and more intense print competition.

Peter Vinthagen Simpson
news@thelocal.se
+46 8 656 6518

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15:43 February 4, 2010 by NickM
What does this mean for Swedish democracy? It means its going rapidly down the toilet. It's ironic that today, The Local reports that an advertising PR driven rag like Metro goes from strength to strength:

http://www.thelocal.se/24786/20100204/

While a more serious newspaper like DN, that may occasionally challenge private power with investigative reporting, is being dismantled in the name of profit. Note that the redundancies are being made in the editorial department not sales or marketing.

Newspapers are being turned from playing a vital role in democracy, to simply selling readerships of consumers to corporations.
16:47 February 4, 2010 by Tiddler
Nick, where have you been for the last 15 + years?

MSM, whether print, radio or TV tells you the news that they want you to hear, i.e. propaganda.

Go to the indepedndent blogs where content is free to find the truth.
17:39 February 4, 2010 by McChatter
When did DN become "independently liberal"? Why didn't The Local tell us about this earlier? Or is "independently liberal" just another way of saying "socialist"?

Is Mr. Arbamn that bad at maths?

NickM, you exaggerate. These cuts in DN staff will not affect democracy.
02:23 February 5, 2010 by Frobobbles
DN used to be the best daily newspaper. But since a couple of years they try to copy Aftonbladet. Not only is that a stupid idea, they fail miserably at it. Thus it is no surprise that the paper kills itself.
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