News

The Sun’s head of sport is Dunn and dusted

Mike Dunn is to leave his job as head of sport at The Sun and Sun on Sunday.

Mike Dunn: standing down as head of sport at The Sun after the World Cup
Mike Dunn: standing down as head of sport at The Sun after the World Cup

The news emerged yesterday evening, and is connected with the re-alignment of responsibilities across the country’s best-selling newspaper’s online offering, management moves which may yet result in further job cuts.

A statement issued by The Sun this morning said, “As part of ongoing changes at The Sun with regards to publishing on multiple platforms, we have reached mutual agreement with Mike Dunn that he will be leaving the newspaper… Mike is a sports legend and goes with our best wishes.”

Dunn, who was sports editor at the News of the World before moving on to the same job on the daily title, will stay at the company until after this summer’s World Cup.

According to sources at The Sun’s east London offices, a range of jobs are being redefined and re-advertised ahead of the paper’s move to a new base at London Bridge. Many Sun staffers will be expected to re-apply for their jobs. “Roles being specified as either ‘Content’ or ‘Publishing’ across all platforms,” sportsjournalists.co.uk was told. “It’s a good way of reducing number,” our source said.

“I assume that Mike was told he had to be head of content and he may have regarded it as a loss of overall control.”

Dunn had spent 29 years working in various roles, having started at what was then News International when it opened the notorious, now vacant, editorial and print plant at Wapping. Today, Dunn said, “I never even realised I had worked 29 years for the company until someone told me. To say those years have raced by would be an understatement.

“I am delighted I will still be staying to see The Sun though the 2014 World Cup. That seems an appropriate finale – all we need now is an historic England triumph to cap my own 29 incredible years.”


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