Also from Crikey today, just when you thought it might be safe to pick up the AFR again the following are out in the latest round of redundancies:
Markets and companies editor and Financial Review Sunday star Nabila Ahmed, off to do her own thing in New York.
Weekend editor Chris Short, a former features editor and chief sub.
Judith Hoare, deputy editor (features) and one of the best editors on the paper.
Australian Financial Review Magazine editor Jeni Porter, off to Europe. This is a big loss given the magazine is going gangbusters financially and is said to be smashing its advertising targets. Not many print mags can boast that.
Banking writer/editor Andrew Cornell and banking reporter George Liondis. Investment banking reporterStephen Shore is going to London for a hedge fund job. This comes as Treasurer Joe Hockey’s financial inquiry is about to get underway.
Young mining reporter Michael Hobbs threw in the towel to join the Commonwealth Bank in PR role. Also leaving is fellow mining reporter Luke Forrestal, meaning the AFR is bereft of writers who understand hard rock mining. Peter Ker from the SMH/Age will help fill this huge gap. Oil and gas reporter Angela Macdonald Smith remains.
Industrial relations reporter Mark Skulley. One can only imagine what he made of Stutchbury’s aggressive anti-union stance.
Markets editor Peter Wells is leaving, and the loss will be felt. It is one of the AFR‘s strengths, now a big weakness.
Opinion editor Emma Connors and features editor Alison Kahler.
Reporter Jason Murphy, former federal Treasury economist. Sophie Morris from the Canberra Bureau is going as well.
But not everyone wanted a redundancy got one. Veteran Geoff Kitney was again knocked back for a redundancy. So was Pam Williams after an intervention by CEO Greg Hywood, as Crikey reported on Friday.
“It’s a total clear out — everyone is rushing for the exits,” another AFR insider said.
Economics editor Alan Mitchell was reported by The Oz this morning as another possible departure.
There’s some dead wood in there. And some very fine young saplings.
