I understand that today is the day ITV News moves to a system where reporters edit their own TV packages.

How can you tell someone new to video editing? Well, it’s always the sound that gives it away. That, and the going to black and flash frames.

Having pioneered multi-skilling in TV newsrooms what would my thoughts be? Well, for one video editing has become a lot simpler. We’re not quite at the point where it’s no more complicated than word processing, but it’s getting there.

For a well-resourced news programmes – on one level – it makes sense. But working to deadline, the ability of a number of people performing synchronously to outperform one individual is pretty much given. And, if you have a news channel, the economies of scale are pretty simple. Peter Horrocks is unlikely to view this move as giving ITV a competitive advantage in news.

Still it is going ahead, and the real measure of any multi-skilling effort is the number of hold-outs. Which high profile correspondents miss training days or feign incompetence? You have to judge multi-skilling success by the number of refuseniks. The more, the unmerrier.

In my experience, good TV reporters tend to make good editors. The problem is that the good ones are those that tend to get the extra resources. Not that ITV News is flush with resources. After all, there’s lean, and there’s size zero…

But when ITV boss Michael Grade’s bonus comes in at one fifteenth of ITN’s budget for ITV News – dedicated video editors are a luxury Grade’s vacation plans can’t afford.