News Corp’s new ‘innovation centre’ is a potential lifeline for laid-off staffers

The ‘EIC’ was introduced to staff by News Corp Australia’s executive chairman Michael Miller in late May.

News Corp’s new “innovation centre” could offer a lifeline to recently laid-off staff as the company signals further consolidation in the face of cost-of-living pressures and the probable ensuing reader churn rates.

Fears of continuing consolidation come after editors were asked in late March to put forward editorial jobs for redundancy as part of a global move to cut costs.

The corner of the business to see the deepest cuts was the company’s NewsLocal service, which publishes digital editions of local news outlets including The Canberra Star, Wentworth Courier and The Launceston News. Among the most high-profile redundancies was Rhett Watson, managing editor and commercial director of News Corp’s national regional and community network.

News Corp’s new “innovation centre” could offer a lifeline to recently laid-off staff as the company signals further consolidation in the face of cost-of-living pressures and the probable ensuing reader churn rates.

Fears of continuing consolidation come after editors were asked in late March to put forward editorial jobs for redundancy as part of a global move to cut costs.

The corner of the business to see the deepest cuts was the company’s NewsLocal service, which publishes digital editions of local news outlets including The Canberra Star, Wentworth Courier and The Launceston News. Among the most high-profile redundancies was Rhett Watson, managing editor and commercial director of News Corp’s national regional and community network.

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