The Guardian is reporting that ITV intends to sack up to 500 of its editorial staff ::

The National Union of Journalists said that Ofcom has “failed” as a regulator and that the proposals could see journalists job cuts of up to 50%.

It said that the proposals would “set in train the destruction” of local and regional news and that ITV “intends to make massive cuts to its regional news budgets that could see journalist numbers halved”.

“With ITV poised to begin making cuts before Ofcom even completes the consultation, the regulator’s soft-touch approach has failed,” said Jeremy Dear, the general secretary of the NUJ.

“It is failing in its duty to strengthen public service broadcasting. It is failing to guarantee a future for diverse regional news. It is failing to adequately represent the interests of citizens.”