‘Work All the Time Forever’, Lewis Tells Staff at the Telegraph

When he’s not dreaming up ridiculous wazzo names for all the new media developments he’s just read about online (“news hub,” “media wall,” etc. etc.), Telegraph editor Will Lewis, who gives the impression of being a 20 year old Silicon Valley dreamer trapped in the body of a 39 year old hack newspaper editor, spends his time cracking the whip on the few remaining staff members he hasn’t remembered to sack. 

Following a July announcement that the Telegraph would no longer be employing any casual workers or freelance journalists from October 13, it therefore comes as little surprise to discover today that Lewis expects his staff to cover the shortfall by working on Saturdays. 

Those lucky enough to have secured their place on board the Telegraph’s digital starship in Victoria must be wetting themselves with excitement at the prospect of spending their precious weekends uploading a superficial slew of amateur television efforts, podcasts, webcam lapdances and repackaged celebrity puff to feed the beast.

Lewis describes these new positions as “new world” jobs, which goes to show that even the most dystopian of visionaries can have a sense of humour, although Ben Rooney, a former staffer on his foreign desk, might not agree.

Posted by Jack Roberts in Creative Economy | October 13, 2008 8:24PM |