Save our subs and other stories

We now have 70 members for the Save our Subs facebook group which aims to demonstrate why a world without sub-editors is a world of nasty typos, errant apostrophes and just general sloppiness which will not endear readers to journalism, whether it be of the brave-new-world variety or the dead tree model.

We've all read of wholesale carnage on subs' desks throughout the developed world. Here is what some enterprising mastheads have decided to do - ship it all out to India. Others - Fairfax Media included - have decided that their best option is to centralise all subbing operations into what it calls "centres of expertise". This blogger has the right approach:

"Fairfax Media is making appropriately soothing noises about its plan to "review" the positions of as many as 50 sub-editors on its stable of print publications, but the equation is clear enough: it aims to improve quality by cutting service. That service being a quarter of its local sub-editors."

A poster to Public Address also thoughtfully provides us with something from a NZ front page story which shows what sort of nonsense can result when the cold eyes of a trained sub-editor are not brought to bear on one's stories. This from the front page of the NZ Herald:

"Mr Bolger also chairs Kiwibank and New Zealand Post Finance Minister Michael Cullen said the country was lucky to have Mr Bolger had played a major role in success stories of State Owned Enterprises."

Not very nice. This is the handiwork of Pagemasters, which was contracted by Fairfax to take care of its subbing work.

Of course, various tenured academics who used to work in print journalism have called time on the era of sub-editing. here's my piece from Crikey last week on the subject. It spurred me on to found a Facebook group which has now become truly international and has fast grown to 70 members.

The big question is: What Now? Very tempting to ask members to send in the worst copy horrors they have faced every week. We'll cllate the Top 10 and pass them on to the editors of Australia's main metro papers with the massage - this is how subs save your reputation and you NEVER EVEN KNOW!! (obviously all blunders will be filed anonymously. We're not about trying to get reporters into trouble, just about letting the bosses know what things will be like in a world without subs.

What do you think?

Future of Media Conference set for next week..

See your scribe, his boss and a host of (more) worthy media connentators at this conference being held jointly in Sydney and Los Angeles next Tuesday. Ross Dawson unveiled his latest Future of Media report today.

"..many media organizations are experiencing severe challenges, as content proliferates, audiences change behaviors, advertising revenue erodes, and new competitors emerge. Others are prospering as they tap swiftly growing sectors, leverage amateur content creation, tap the power of social networks, and scale production costs."