Thomson Reuters to cut 140 journalist jobs

(Adds comment from National Union of Journalists)

NEW YORK, May 19 (Reuters) - Global information company Thomson Reuters Corp (TRI.TO) (TRIL.L) plans to cut 140 editorial jobs by the end of the year as its Reuters news service absorbs Thomson Financial News.

More than half the cuts will be in Europe, while the rest will be scattered, Editor-in-Chief David Schlesinger wrote in a memo to employees on Monday.

Reuters also plans to add about 50 new jobs in growth areas, Schlesinger said, adding that the news organization should have about 2,500 employees by year's end.

"When two similar and once competing organisations come together, there is natural overlap and duplication in coverage," Schlesinger wrote.

"Wherever possible, we have worked to minimize job losses and to avoid redundancy by moving people into new roles and cancelling open posts that don't fit within the new organisation," he added.

Britain's National Union of Journalists said it had not ruled out a strike but would negotiate with the company first.

"The NUJ has been pressing hard to have any job cuts carried out through voluntary redundancies and will continue to do so," said NUJ representative Myra MacDonald.