News

Sunday Tele: Ros Reines down; Glenn Milne out and new staff in, as News Ltd also shakes up Queensland operation

Sydney’s Sunday Telegraph has unveiled a series of changes to its staff and columns, including downgrading gossip columnist Ros Reines, confirming the departure of columnist Glenn Milne and new staff appointments.

Reines’ long standing double page spread on the inside back of the Sydney newspaper has been reduced to a single page moved further into the paper.  

However, she has also been given an occasional video role on news.com.au.

Reines (pictured above) – previously subtitled by the newspaper “Sydney’s hottest gossip columnist”, has been relabelled “The columnist they can’t silence”. Her lead story today is a prediction that radio star Jackie O is pregnant.

Meanwhile, showbiz writers Jonathon Moran and Elle Halliwell have been promoted into Reines’ old slot, where they’ve been rebadged as “J.Mo & Elle”. Moran recently successfully guest edited Reines’ column over the summer break.

The News Ltd paper has also confirmed Crikey’s report on Friday that controversial columnist Glenn Milne has departed. Announcing the arrival of Simon Kearney as national political editor, the paper says on page 2: “He replaces Glenn Milne after his successful six years as our Canberra-based political correspondent.”

Milne is probably best known for his performance at the 2006 Walkley Awards when he pushed Crikey founder Stephen Mayne off the stage.

Other changes the Sunday Telegraph announces today include the arrival of Lindsay Moller from The Australian as picture editor, Prue Lewington from the New York Daily News as style editor and Manly daily editor Trevor Seymour as assistant editor.

The Sunday Telegraph has also found weekly columns for union boss Paul Howes, who has previously written on an occasional basis, and for comedian Wendy Harmer.

The changes in Sydney coincide with an editorial shake-up at News Ltd’s Queensland operations announced on Friday night, which were billed as being in preparation for the introduction of paid content and a move to a seven-days-a-week operation.

David Fagan, the editor of The Courier-Mail, has become editor-in-chief of Queensland Newspapers. Deputy editor Michael Crutcher has been appointed to editor of the Courier Mail. And Scott Thompson, currently deputy editor of The Sunday Mail has been promoted to editor.

News Ltd said that The Sunday Mail’s current editor Liz Deegan “will be appointed to a new, senior role within the group that will be announced shortly”.

News Ltd boss John Hartigan said: “Our Queensland titles are poised to enter a new period of growth through the development of paid content and truly integrated multi-platform publishing that will result in the full convergence of our print and digital publishing operations and greater collaboration and cooperation between The Courier-Mail and The Sunday Mail.”

Hartigan added: “While the Courier-Mail and The Sunday Mail will very clearly remain individual mastheads in their own right, this new editorial structure will allow us to develop coordinated strategies for the growth of print, online and other digital applications seven days a week in a way that allows each title to contribute to the success of the other.”

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