Dec192009

Students reporting professionally

By whealie | 19/12/2009 | Posted in people, site updates | Tagged , , , | Comments (2)

By Chris Wheal

Student members reporting at the National Union of Journalists’ annual delegate meeting (ADM) in Southport did a professional job.

I give them my heartfelt thanks and my congratulations on proving themselves worthy of being called journalists – forget the student bit. They also get thanks from delegates and from the hundreds of members not at ADM who used the website.

Kat and Elinor

Elinor and Kate working ont heir laptops

Elinor and Kat hard at work

Dynamic duo

But the biggest thanks of all go to managing editors Kat Lay and Elinor Zuke. They spent the entire ADM in our windowless HQ, the “nuclear bunker”. Their fingers were literally on the button, authorising publication challenging, chasing deadlines and cajoling copy to come forward.

Kat and Elinor took the order papers and fringe meeting timetables and organised

  • which reporters would be twittering
  • who would record the motions for each order paper
  • which person would live blog
  • who would be doing follow-up interviews, for print, audio and video.

They also authorised publication, checking with me when necessary. They were in at 8.30am and never left before 7pm. They remained calm, and polite (but firm) throughout. They were outstanding.

New media, new NUJ

My best guess is that more than half the delegates to ADM started conference believing blogging, Twitter, putting photos on Flickr and videos on Youtube was not proper journalism. Even as student Lizzie Houghton spoke, early Saturday, a sizeable majority sniggered at the mention of social media.

But by the end of ADM, in just two and half days, I believe the students proved that the media does not dictate the quality. Thorough, thoughtful journalism is as at home on the net as on paper. I hope all at ADM and in the wider NUJ now see that.

The fact that the new editor of The Journalist and the leadership of the NUJ asked to reproduce the student’s material – and rightfully pay the students for their work – is testament to this. The NUJ is the union for those working online as much as it for those broadcasting or in print.

Student stats:

  • We had 24 students, half men – half women, three black (12.5%), several others of non-UK or Irish nationality, aged between 20 and 48.
  • 6 photographers, 1 TV specialist, 1 radio, several print or multimedia students. Three not studying journalism but working on student media.
  • Google Analytics tells us we had more than 1,100 unique visitors during ADM and just after.
  • Our Twitter feed alone, which limits reports to 140 characters, produced more than 10,000 words.

Work Experience guidelines

Each student had their full expenses reimbursed and was given a small amount of cash for incidentals. Each is to receive some payment for their work appearing in The Journalist. And each will receive an individual written report on their work experience.

The NUJ has demonstrated that work experience can be professionally managed and prove a valuable learning experience for student journalists.

We have shown that abiding by the NUJ’s work experience guidelines (link opens new window) gives the best experience to students and gets the most out of them.

By whealie | Posted in people, site updates | Tagged , , , | Comments (2)
Nov292009

Photographs of ADM for sale

By Kat | 29/11/2009 | Posted in Uncategorized | Comments (0)

Photos taken by our various student photographers are now available to buy.  Find the photo you want in our Flickr group, note who took it, then click on their links below for more details (open in new windows):

Vicki-Jane Appleton

Jane Hobson

Damian Jozwik

Emma Patterson

David Hedges

For photos by other delegates, please use the contact form and we will pass your enquiries on.

By Kat | Posted in Uncategorized | Comments (0)
Nov292009

Reflecting on the ADM

By Michael Copus | 29/11/2009 | Posted in people | Tagged , , | Comments (2)

The National Union of Journalists’ Annual Delegate Meeting, other than being a right mouthful to say out loud, was an incredibly eye-opening experience for me.

Having spent the past two years studying a journalism degree, and painfully aware that the not-so-free ride is coming to an end, it was a great opportunity to talk to the people who are not only part of the industry, but also suffering from it’s apparently drawn out murder.

There were inspirations – James Doherty leaving every student still left in the bar at three in the morning on Friday night (that was most, then) open-mouthed and inspired by his shocking tales from Gaza; Foster Dongozi from the Zimbabwe Union of Journalists making me realise just how vital ethical journalism is in a country where a brutal death at the hands of the government is your punishment for telling the truth; and the shared attitude of resilience that clearly holds the union together in a time where the only people who really care about journalism are the journalists themselves.

But with the moments of inspiration came snatches of self-doubt, of intense worry and the kind of feeling a novice mountaineer would get in his gut upon facing Everest.

I once heard journalism described as ‘a rich person’s hobby’. Indeed, a few days after getting back from the surprisingly delightful Southport, I attended the Guardian Student Media Conference, where the ‘Make It In Media’ panel consisted of the winner of last year’s Broadcast Journalist of the Year award and two Oxford graduates now working for the Guardian.

Perhaps not realising who the audience was, Aditya Chakrabortty explained how he got into the industry when the interview for his first job was chaired by another member of that ‘old boys club’. Despite knowing little in the role he was applying for, the only question in that interview that seemed to matter was ‘what college did you study at?’ He laughed it off whilst all the students listening audibly let out a resigned sigh of despair.

But there was one conversation I had towards the end of the weekend at ADM that has spurred me on. Ken Smith, chair of the NUJ Wales Council, told me all about his ambitious plans to organise a sort of local co-op of newspapers in Wales. He plans to work out a solution to the problems local news is facing, rather than whinging about it. What’s more he told me that there is a place for students in his scheme, and those students will be paid fairly for their work. Whilst his enthusiasm was encouraging, it was his attitude to students that made me realise that not everyone in this industry is looking for some cheap labour to abuse.

It’s hard to believe in yourself in journalism. Every time I tell someone what I’m studying, I get incredulous looks and jokes about taking photos up some poor starlet’s skirt as she tumbles out of her car. But I feel I took one of the greatest things from the ADM over the weekend – inspiration to not only make it in this career, but make the industry better than it has ever been before. Ambitious, yes, but there can be no success without ambition.

It’s either that or I invent a time machine and go study at Oxford.

By Michael Copus | Posted in people | Tagged , , | Comments (2)
Nov242009

First – and lasting – impressions of ADM

By Emma Patterson | 24/11/2009 | Posted in Uncategorized, people | Tagged , , , , | Comments (5)

The NUJ Annual Delegates Meeting in Southport this weekend was, for me, nothing short of a baptism of fire.  Having turned my back on my 25 years’ worth of experience in the corporate world, I returned to university to study photography two years ago.

The world of IT is not known for embracing  a union mentality or culture.  In fact, there are…erm…none.  Presumably because – let’s face it – the pay and conditions are pretty damn good already! Or, maybe due to the fact there is a widely shared opinion that the more they reward employees, the harder they work and the harder they work, the ‘luckier’ they get?  Or they are an oppressed and silenced bunch, forced to drive around in BMWs and holiday in Dubai. Who knows?

Passion

So, hard as it is to believe, this was my first contact with any form of union outpouring during my 44 years on the planet; having been asked to be part of the student team reporting the conference ‘live and kicking’.

And, KICKING it was.  The passion displayed by the members, delegates, speakers, students and execs was all-consuming and hedonistically intoxicating.  I can’t remember seeing anyone in IT speaking so animatedly about ‘disaster recovery software’ or ‘enterprise software systems’ at a conference.

Another thing that struck me was the camaraderie and the willingness of the members to help out us [relatively] journalistic virgins.  People came to our bunker and sought out individuals to give a word of praise, encouragement or constructive feedback as well as being on hand to be commandeered themselves for interviews and/or advice.

Militancy

Although it is tempting to look down on anyone even marginally right of centre as a waste of space, there are some aspects I experience in corporateland that could be welcomed.  Like the ability to take the piss out of ourselves without it turning into an international incident.

Eamon McCann at the rostrum

Loud and sweary - (C) damianjozwik.com

Uproar occurred when one of the students twittered that an impassioned speech by the wonderful Eamonn McCann was ‘loud’ (it was) and that he was expecting him to say “Feck” and “Gin” next – an obvious reference to the much-missed and fondly remembered Father Ted comedy show.  This was FUNNY and, obviously, a personal opinion!! (see blogged criticism – opens new window)

By adopting an outraged approach to the tweet, which is, by its very nature, off the cuff, are we not trying to censorship free speech; the very thing we spend most of an ADM trying fiercely to protect?  Could we not just loosen up sometimes and remember just how short life is (watching my father die made me realise this) or am I being exceptionally naive? NEC member Niall Hunt blogged on this too – link opens new window.

Friends

All that said, I have definitely made new friends and will relish future debates we will undoubtedly have whilst knowing that we share a mutual respect for each other, regardless of our differing views and divided opinions.

I have also resolved to become a more active member of the NUJ in my college – we need to recruit, recruit, recruit; especially the new, young blood.

My desire for a bit more light-heartedness may be simplistic but forgive me; I have been in IT….although please don’t tell my Mother I was in IT – she thought I played the piano in a French whorehouse.

By Emma Patterson | Posted in Uncategorized, people | Tagged , , , , | Comments (5)
Nov232009

The Uncertainty of the Future

By Carl Leighton | 23/11/2009 | Posted in people | Tagged | Comments (0)

Journalism is renowned as being an extremely tough industry to get in to. Add to that a global economic crisis and owners wanting to line their own pockets rather than improve their content and all that is left is a very worrying time.

It’s not only those people who are already journalists who should be concerned about what the future holds.  If journalism was already a tough nut to crack, then surely for budding journalists that nut is getting even more impregnable.

Even from brief chats with people who are already in the industry it is hard to feel anything other than slightly depressed and drained of enthusiasm for a future in the industry.  Perhaps I was unfortunate enough to stumble across some pessimistic journalists or I have been made aware of the reality of the business.

Bleak Future

BBC World Service’s Ali Tussi said: “I believe that the near term future is bleak, very bleak.” He went on to say, “this grave situation will really become a nightmare once [David] Cameron comes in next year.”

“There are going to be massive job cuts and more worryingly there will be no concept of fair, unbiased, objective broadcasting…other media will be under as much threat as broadcasters.”

Fellow BBC World Service member Howard Zan echoed the thoughts of Tussi saying: “I’m a pessimist for the future of the entire industry.”

Zan feels that people looking to get into the industry should make sure they have another profession to work in and hope jobs increase. “At this uncertain time go for a more certain profession for now and if you see a change of wind then change. There is no glamour in it.”

Change Is Good

Despite the rather negative and in some ways depressing comments from Tussi and Zan there are some people within journalism who have positive feelings about what the future holds.

John Coghlan from the Northern Ireland Broadcast Branch of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) felt that there were exciting times ahead for journalism.

“I think it’s very very exciting for young people coming into the industry because you have green field site of new technology… we just don’t know where it’ll go.”

Unlike his colleagues Coghlan doesn’t feel pessimistic about journalism as a profession.

“I wouldn’t be pessimistic about the possibilities of journalism as a profession; it’ll just change and maybe more exciting.”

Uncertainty

Even though Coghlan is upbeat about the future, as somebody hopeful of forcing their way into the industry it is difficult to look past the negativity which was present in many journalists’ opinions.

On the other hand that negativity will simply act as a form of motivation to break into the increasingly difficult industry and journalists don’t always get things correct.

People will always need journalists no matter how much technology comes along or how greedy the fat cats become. As students of journalism it is our job to not become too downbeat by what we hear and read, we will simply have to work harder and hope to have a little luck in order to crack that nut.

By Carl Leighton | Posted in people | Tagged | Comments (0)
Nov222009

Profile: James Doherty

By Michael Copus | 22/11/2009 | Posted in people | Tagged , , | Comment (1)

_DSC9866

The ADM is not the only thing coming to an end today.

James Doherty, who has been NUJ President for the past 19 ½ months, followed tradition and stepped down from his role during the closing ceremony of the ADM.

But he told us he is not intending to rest on his laurels.

“In a lot of ways I’ll be sad to give up the presidency but I’m still relatively young. I’m not going anywhere in terms of working for members of this union,” he said.

“I’ll still be taking the fight in every direction, and I’ll still be very heavily involved in building on the policies which ADM have directed us to follow.”

“Proud”

James entered the role at a turbulent time. The recession was looming ominously on the horizon, and confidence in journalism was depleting with worrying haste.

“I knew what was coming, and I knew it would be difficult,” he explains. “But I knew that I could negotiate all of the arguments and find common ground.”

“To be able to hold the union together at a time that it could easily have fractured I believe is something that I am very proud of,” he admits.

However, James is quick to deflect any praise straight to the members of the NUJ: “I’m proud of the members who have faced real difficulty, the members who have not known how they were going to survive after losing their work, and the members who also said: ‘we will not take this lying down. We will fight for journalists and we will fight for journalism’.”

A positive outlook

James, despite stepping down from his role as president, will still be at the forefront of that fight, defending journalists’ rights and jobs in the face of a media industry that continues to try to shut them out.

Despite moments of this year’s ADM hanging heavy with doubts and fears of the future, James remains typically positive about the NUJ’s next few years.

“Journalism is not changing. The medium is changing, the outlets are changing, but the same values are not changing, whether you blog or work for traditional media,” he said.

“With that, I know the NUJ will move forward and embrace new technology. But at the same time there will always be a home for journalists in the UK, Ireland and Europe, and that home will always be the NUJ.”

They say home is where the heart is, and there’s no doubting where James Doherty’s heart lies.

By Michael Copus | Posted in people | Tagged , , | Comment (1)
Nov222009

The NUJ must “recruit recruit recruit”

By Caroline Beavon | 22/11/2009 | Posted in debates | Comment (1)

With membership numbers falling as the industry is ravaged by redundancies, the NUJ has today admitted the very real need to focus on recruitment.
In order to boost numbers, and continue the work of the union, it needs to branch out into new sectors, most importantly, the new media and digital media areas.

Today delegates voted to promote  – even more actively – the recruitment of internet journalists, and welcomed the completion of a new study into the digital media industries in the UK, which could be used as bases for recruitment as motion 161 was carried.

The debate also turned to the situation at PA, who undermined recent strike action at Yorkshire Post Newspapers by providing copy. The room realised the need to focus recruitment at PA, to head off any future situations where the company goes against the action of NUJ members.

More on New Media in the NUJ here

By Caroline Beavon | Posted in debates | Comment (1)
Nov222009

Trade Union Rights

By Rachel Hanretty | 22/11/2009 | Posted in motions | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)

Motion 149 was carried, instructing the National Executive Committee (NEC) for a change in the law to ensure that if employees are in the midst of a dispute with a company the employer is not allowed to outsource during the dispute.

It is a matter of human rights said Leeds branch, proposing the motion.

Leeds’ motion 150 aims at making all employers aware of the legal requirement in the United Kingdom which allows trade union representatives to get paid time off to carry out their duties. Guidelines from the legal department will be on the website within the next few days. The motion was passed unanimously.

Supporting Our Members

Manchester proposed motion 151 which instructs the NEC to give full backing to members who have been discriminated against because of their membership.

This motion is present because the branch believes that these members have not always been supported fully – but stress they are not calling for more financial help. It is merely about the way members are treated and welcomed by the NEC.

Jeremy Dear of NEC withdrew an NEC amendment to the motion saying that the NEC now better understood the intentions lying behind the motion.

He concluded: “It’s not about whether or not we support them it’s always about how we best support them.” The motion was carried.

Using Historical Media Campaigns As Examples

Using the 25th anniversary of the miners’ strike as a platform for motion 152, ADM instructed the NEC to aid the campaign to defend standards in local and regional media. Those in favour told ADM it was appalling to no longer have national coverage of the daily working life of British people. The motion was passed.

Late Motions

Late motion 2 was proposed by Edinburgh and District branch and calls for support to the campaign in Scotland to fight against the poor handling of the Chamber’s Harrap closure in Edinburgh by the Hachette group.

It urges the NEC to do everything it can to to see if at least some part of the redundancies and Chamber’s name and brand as well as skills can be maintained for Scottish publishing. The motion was carried with no objections.

By Rachel Hanretty | Posted in motions | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)
Nov222009

International journalists

By Aarti Thobhani | 22/11/2009 | Posted in motions | Comments (0)

Death toll

Motion 141 passed, noting the death toll of media staff throughout the world.

It instructed the NEC to support the work of the International Federation of Journalists’ international support committee. The committee brings together the families of killed journalists to lobby for justice and humanitarian assistance in cases where they need long-term support.

Support for Russian journalists

Motion 142 was also carried, welcoming the launch by the IFJ and the Russian Union of Journalists of ‘Partial Justice’, a report which documents the killings of journalists in Russia between 1993-2009.

ADM noted that the report listed:

  • over 300 deaths and disappearances of journalists; and
  • that only a few of the deaths have been properly investigated resulting in killers escaping justice.

ADM instructed the NEC to support the Russian union’s campaign to improve the safety of its members and make killing or attempted murder of journalists a more serious offence.

Work with Zimbabwe

Motion 143 instructed the NEC to continue to develop its work with the Zimbabwean Union of Journalists to help Zimbabwean journalists improve their working conditions. It was carried.

Anti-Sikh massacres in 1984 India

Motion 147 instructed the General Secretary to write to the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, urging the British Government to raise 1984’s anti-Sikh massacres with the Indian High Commissioner. It was carried.

Parvinder Singh of Book Branch spoke of how the Indian government believed that the anti-Sikh massacres in November 1984 were a natural reaction to the assassination of India Gandhi.

25 years later none of the key perpertrators have been brought to justice.

“NUJ is on the side of the widows in pursuit for justice and it’s high time that the Indian Government come clean,” he said.

NUJ General Secretary Jeremy Dear said: “It is important for all peoples that we seek not just the truth about the events of 1984 and beyond in Punjab but that we also act for justice.”

By Aarti Thobhani | Posted in motions | Comments (0)
Nov222009

Interview with Christine Buckley, Journalist editor

By Zoe Rafah | 22/11/2009 | Posted in people | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0)

Posted via email from Kat’s posterous

By Zoe Rafah | Posted in people | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0)