BBC News journalists may be forced to take redundancy as part of the broadcaster's ongoing strategy review, which includes plans to cut 20 jobs by March 2011.

Job cuts will reportedly include presenters and newsroom journalists.

The cuts are part of the BBC's five-year Delivering Creative Futures programme, which announced a planned 1,800 redundancies and 2,500 closed positions when it was released in 2007.

The review warned that News and Factual production would be most affected at the time.

John Shield, head of communications for journalism, today confirmed further cuts would be going ahead within the news division.

"There are to be impacts on presenters, but it might be possible to achieve the equivalent of one job by reduced shifts, for example," he told Journalism.co.uk.

"But reports that 20 jobs will be cut are correct."

According to a report in the Telegraph, Mary Hockaday, head of the BBC newsroom, sent an email to news staff confirming that forced redundancies could not be ruled out.

"As always, where posts are being closed we will ask for volunteers. However the BBC retains the right, as a last resort, to make people compulsorily redundant."

She is also reported to have indicated where other cuts will be made, such as in guest transport, guest fees and less spending on coverage by focusing “fewer, bigger, better” stories.

This latest round of jobs cuts comes as unions battle staff pay freezes and pension reviews as part of the BBC's overall cost-cutting strategies.

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