Fairfax, NZME downplay journalist redundancies in merger defence

Fairfax, NZME downplay journalist redundancies in merger defence
Paul McBeth
By Paul McBeth Dec. 13 (BusinessDesk) - Fairfax New Zealand and NZME, the country's dominant newspaper publishers, downplayed the size of likely job cuts among frontline journalists if the regulator makes an about-face and approves a merger.  In a cross-submission on the Commerce Commission's draft determination shooting down the deal, NZME and Fairfax said redundancies are an economic reality facing both businesses, and that job losses will be at a faster pace and may be focused in the regions if the merger isn't allowed. The companies s...