Editorial changes in ‘Irish Sun’ cutbacks

The editor of the Irish Sun is to be replaced amid changes at the Irish edition of the British tabloid.

It emerged yesterday that cutbacks at the title will see Michael McNiffe, who has been editor since 2005, step aside.

It is understood as many as six other positions could be affected, with deputy editor Paul Clarkson becoming acting Irish editor.

It is understood Paul Hudson, previously an assistant features editor in London for The Sun, will become assistant editor in Dublin, where he will be joined for the next four months by an acting design director, also come from The Sun’s London HQ.

The move took staff by surprise when announced yesterday, and no one from News International would comment.

The changes appear to reverse the growth in staff personnel in the Irish Sun’s Dublin office in recent years. It is believed staff in Dublin were told that management did not want to compromise the newspaper’s Irish content but wanted to bring the tone of the paper more in line with that of its British counterpart.