In Tuesday’s (7/30) Stage News (London), Nicola Merrifield reports, “All arts critics at the Independent on Sunday are to be axed from this September as part of cuts to the newspaper’s workforce.… A total of seven journalists are affected, including theatre critic Kate Bassett and music critic Anna Picard.…Tom Sutcliffe, who was the first arts editor of the Independent in 1986 and is now its TV reviewer, has also lost his job. He said via his Twitter account that he was ‘not entirely sure what the plan is at the moment’ when asked if there would be no arts coverage at the papers in the future.… Simon Tait, president of the Critics’ Circle, described the job losses as ‘inexplicable.’ He said: ‘Our artists have never been as high profile as they are now, the arts have never been more popular with audiences, and audiences have never wanted informed and objective review of performances more than they do today.…This is a blow to arts criticism, but even more to newspapers and the journalism that leads the world.’ The National Union of Journalists has criticised the paper’s decision, saying it is concerned about the lack of consultation with staff and the ‘arbitrary’ nature of implementation.”
Posted July 31, 2013
