The NZPA decision to cut seven of its 55 staff was a reckless move that would reduce news quality across the entire media and undermine the public's right to be informed, the journalists union EPMU recently reacted to the cuts.

As far as racing is concerned, websites and specialist racing print publications will be the winners.

The losers will be those racing readers of family newspapers generally interested in racing and not just gambling.

The NZPA is to continue with distribution of fields, form and results to family newspapers but little else apart from coverage of some prestigious Group Level racing.

Experienced racing editors and writers left in family newspapers or on the fringe of them have been quick to condemn the NZPA racing cutback in so far as it will impact on general coverage of racing.

Some vastly experienced racing scribes maintain they will be placed in a hopeless position, being unable to provide an adequate and/or satisfactory service across the board.

The grapevine rumour machine hints at Fairfax Newspapers (proprietors of many major papers) later forming its own racing bureau but that has yet to be confirmed.

Racing coverage, based largely on commercial reasons and questionable readership survey polls, has been whittled back gradually over many years to the point whereby it is now little more than a glorified tip sheet for TAB telephone punters.

The present unsatisfactory coverage in most family newspapers would be even worse but for the financial support of the TAB to major family newspapers.

Readers hungry for more information and general racing news have been turning to websites and specialist industry publications to find what they want to know as racing space has been eroded in family newspapers.

There again, newspaper proprietors will reason, and not without good cause, that the situation has been aggravated by increased permits in the three codes, particularly greyhound racing.

Some websites have capitalised markedly on being able to turn breaking news items around in a few minutes, whereas newspapers and specialist print publications have to wait 24 hours or up to a week.

Some New Zealand newspapers have done away with senior in house racing staff and operated a service by way of contributor writers (often those made redundant) to maintain a more streamlined and re-structured operation which are glorified terms for cost cutting and an inferior product and service to readers.

The New Zealand Herald was one of the first to make that move and others have followed.

The winds of recession and financial corrections have manifested themselves in many ways.

Losing a significant percentage of staff at NZPA level is only one of countless examples.

Don Wright