According to a national news editor ….”We no longer see the regional newspapers as a source for staff. We find that training graduates ourselves produces better journalists.” (Hat tip Joanna Geary)

That means even less incentive to slave away on a regional paper to earn peanuts. It also says a lot about the future of national newspapers where door-stepping and grassroots investigation are becoming less part of the job, exactly the sort of things that regional journalism is a great training ground for.

Does this mean that journalism will have a North/South divide, where only those folk living within the M25 with generous parents who can afford to sub them their rent and student loan repayments can afford to work the odd night shift at a national to get a foot in the door?

I suppose the City of London journalism course will become even more highly prized as its much easier to build contacts and be a dogsbody for a national.