Students reporting professionally

19/12/2009

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)

First – and lasting – impressions of ADM

24/11/2009

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)

Trade Union Rights

22/11/2009

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)

NEC to rethink Training funding

22/11/2009

Withdrawn motion gets point across

Jeremy Dear, General Secretary of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ), said yesterday that the union’s National Executive Committee (NEC) would rethink the Training department’s funding in light of new proposals. Read More »

By Lizzie Houghton | Posted in motions, people | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0)

Fact-finding tour to Palestine

22/11/2009

National Union of Journalists (NUJ) delegates failed to remove a paragraph from motion 145 that welcomed the Trade Union Congress’s support for a boycott of goods from “illegal Israeli settlement in occupied parts of Gaza and the West Bank”.

The motion did not make an Israeli boycott NUJ policy, calling only for the union to call for an end to arms sales to Israel and for the union to go on a fact-fing trade union delegation to Palestine and Israel.

The NEC opposed the motion and delegates tried to remove the paragraph but Pat Healy of Standing Orders Committee said the motion had to be taken as a whole. Delegates voted overwhelmingly in favour.

The concern was that delegates were unaware that the motion would include this paragraph as it had not been printed in the Agenda.

By whealie | Posted in debates, motions | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (0)

ADM begins on Sunday morning…

22/11/2009

Wot no delegates?
Empty seats at the start of the final day at NUJ ADM 2009

By Kat | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)

The Journalist (NUJ Journal) – Motions 133 – 140

21/11/2009

Order paper 12 – including motions 133 to 140 – was introduced with a short speech condemning the current Journalist site and praising the reporting carried out by students at the NUJ’s Annual Delegate Meeting (ADM).

All motions concerned the role of new editor of the Journalist, Christine Buckley, and the state of the Journalist magazine.

Richard Simcox, from the Press and PR branch, said: “We’re really lagging behind in terms of how we run things. We could, and probably should be, following the students’ examples.”

All motions were passed of which motion 133 (covering motion 134) was unopposed.

Motion 133 – Increasing the role of the Journalist editor

Motion 133 (covering Motion 134), proposed by Press and PR branch, discussed the issues of convergence and the role of the editor of the Journalist (the NUJ Journal). It passed unanimously.

Under current NUJ guidelines the editor only has power to edit articles in the journal and those online which have been taken directly from the journal.

In the motion the ADM instructed the National Executive Council (NEC) to:

  • Change the NUJ rules to increase the editor’s role – via a motion at next years’ ADM – to expand his/her responsibilities to editing all Journalistic news pieces on the website
  • This will mean that the editor will have additional control over “union and other website pages” involving content taken from, or associated with, the union’s journal
  • He/she will not have control over the whole site

In order to make the Journalist more prominent among members.

Leeds branch proposed an amendment to the motion arguing that a clause confirming the role of the editor as an “independent elected editor” – and giving them responsibility for all NUJ website content – would clarify the motion.

Press and PR branch asked conference to reject the amendment made by Leeds branch as gives the editor too much power. The amendment was rejected by a massive majority.

Motion 135 – Concerns over the frequency of the Journalist and lack of co-operation between the journal and the online content

Motion 135 (covering motion 136 to 140) – proposed by North Wales Coast, Manchester, Birmingham and Coventry branches – concerned worries that the ADM has with the communications strategy imposed by the NEC and the cutting of regular Journalist issues.

The motion outlined that the Journalist has been cut to six issues a year and that communications between all sectors of the Union are being damaged by cut-backs and incoherent publishing of online material – which is often not published in concert with the news in the Journalist.

The motion instructs the NEC to:

  • Ensure that the website includes a daily link to the Journalist is displayed so users are aware of the journal
  • To integrate the editor of the Journalist into the Union’s Campaigns and Communications department to ensure unity

Leeds branch proposed an amendment to the motion saying there should be a further section on the NUJ website specifically for unrelated Journalist matters. This was proposed to prevent a converging mess on the internet.

Peter Lazenby, from Leeds branch, urged that the amendment be passed. He said: “In the current state the Journalist – which is our trade press – is inadequate. We have to sort out the online section with the journal and get members involved. First that means highlighting the independence of the Journalist.”

The amendment was rejected by an overwhelming majority and the motion was passed.

By Ashley Scrace | Posted in motions | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (0)

Vicki Appleton speaks to Stephen Brookes

21/11/2009

As a manic depressive, I was keen to bend the ear of Stephen Brookes, chair of the Disabled Members Council at the NUJ, to find out what he thinks the union needs to do for members like me.

Stephen is also member of the TUC disability campaign and works closely with the Crown Prosecution Service, specifically dealing with learning disabilities and the mentally unwell in relation to prosecution and witnessing.

Like me, Stephen deplores the world vulnerable as a term to describe myself or people like me. He too is a manic depressive. I find the term derogatory, demeaning and patronising – a sentiment echoed by Stephen and the disability council members.

“It is a nightmare which is still ongoing and that the union needs to grasp… real equality is accepting that we all have difficulties and differences.”

Problems with reasonable adjustment

As far as the council is concerned, allowing reasonable adjustment, for any employee with any disability, can lead to victimisation, bullying and harassment of the worst kind.

This must be stamped out. Reasonable adjustments are allowed because they are needed. The added stress of any subsequent harassment or inferior treatment by colleagues, only adds to the frustration felt by me and I am sure many others.

The NUJ has the lowest disability declaration rate of any union. However, it is well documented that journalists suffer more than many other professions from stress-related illnesses. Is it a reflection of attitudes in the industry? I personally believe so and I am personally looking forward to getting involved with the DMC.

A challenge

So then, here is a challenge from Stephen himself. For all you NUJ members out there keeping mental illness a secret: whether a student, employed or freelance: “Stick your heads above the parapets and get involved.”

Portrait of Stephen Brookes. Chair of the Disabled Members Council

By Vicki-Jane Appleton | Posted in people | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (0)

Ethical Decisions

21/11/2009

War-zone reporting, and the police’s relationship with journalists were some of the many topics put under the microscope when the conference returned from lunch.

The Law of the Land

With regards to journalists’ relationship with the police, motions 86 through to 92 were discussed. In 86 (covering also 87, 88, 89) the efforts, and subsequent legal victory of Sunday Tribune Northern editor Suzanne Breen were applauded and used as an example of why it is imperative for the NEC to “contact police forces in the UK and Ireland to emphasise to them the importance of the NUJ Code Of Conduct”.

With 90, the NEC was urged to continue its ongoing attempts to improve relations with the Police, while 91 focused on how relations were severely damaged by the heavy-handed treatment of journalists (especially photographers) by the police at the G20 demonstrations in London.

Motion 92 on the other hand, dealt with the flippant attitude in which the Police have adopted with the Police And Criminal Evidence Act (PACE Act) and other legislation, thanks to the recent glut of anti-terrorism laws. It proposes that the NEC produce a ‘legal guide’ in which NUJ members can refer to , so as that they know exactly how protected they and their work are, should they ever come under the scrutiny of a police investigation or arrest.

All four motions were passed without incident.

The Misrepresentation of Women in the Media

Another successfully carried motion was that of Bristol Branch, in which, based on the findings of the “Representations of Women in the Media” project, the NEC were urged to promote positive representations of women in the media, and to tackle and debunk the misrepresentations.

Disability and Permission to report

The reporting of stories involving people with disabilities was the focus of both motion 108 and 110. Motion 108 wanted every member to recognise that people with disabilities were a growing population, not only in the general population, but in the NUJ as well.

As a result, it wanted to raise awareness of the importance of sensitivity when writing, and courtesy when dealing with affected members at work. 110 was more interested in the terminology used when reporting on ‘hate crimes against disabled people’, and how words such as ‘vulnerable’ could actually be detrimental to the victims as it creates a weak stereotype that many people could and do find offensive and demeaning. Both motions were carried.

Motion 109 wanted to amend the NUJ Code of Conduct to include the principle that “journalists should seek the permission of a parent, guardian, or other appropriate adult when interviewing or photographing a child with regard to a story about their welfare”. This motion was also passed.

War on Error

The big debate of this section was Oxford and District Branch’s statement that a majority of the British media was guilty of bias reporting on the latest Gaza conflict, and that the NEC  should set up a forum to discuss the ethical rights and wrongs on the reporting of the conflict.

This received passionate backing on both sides of the debate, with members from BBC World Service defending the coverage, and other NUJ members condemning it. Despite BBC World Service’s protestations, the motion was passed (with the branch’s own amendment).

Remission Possible

Not all motions were as successful as most, with motions:

  • 93 (campaign to reform the PCC)
  • 111 (reinstatement of former clause 8of the original Code Of Conduct)
  • 113 (bridging the gap between the journalistic principles of the NUJ, and the new medias of blogging and twittering)

all remitted for the NEC to make a decision.

By Luke Deakin | Posted in motions | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0)

Military protest may lead to life sentence

21/11/2009

Attendees at the Media Workers Against the War fringe meeting heard a discussion of the British military position in Afghanistan.

By Stephen Fothergill and Julija Jegorova.

Speaking at the meeting were photographer Guy Smallman, who recently returned from Afghanistan, Nahella Ashraf, who chairs the Manchester branch of Stop the War, and Sue Glenton, mother of British soldier Joe Glenton.

Sue Glenton

Sue Glenton is the mother of British soldier Joe Glenton, who refused to go back to war in Afghanistan on a matter of principle and ethics.

She said: “When Joe was sent to Afghanistan he believed he would be helping to liberate women, stop the opium trade and bring down the warlords. Instead he found himself in a war of attrition which has led to the death of countless innocent people.”

She added that until he sent his letter to Gordon Brown on 30th July 2009, he was up on charges of being Awol, which allows sentencing of up to two years in prison.

He is now up on the more serious charge of desertion which carries a maximum life sentence. She said: “We’re supposedly fighting in Afghanistan for democracy, really I think we should be fighting for our democracy over here.”

Guy SmallmanGuest speakers at the Media Workers Against the War fringe meeting. By David Hedges

Guy Smallman spoke about his time in Afghanistan during the recent November elections. He expressed his dismay with Afghan democracy by saying: “I couldn’t find a single Afghan person who is happy with politics. They believe that their President was elected earlier in the White House.”

He went on to say that he believes that the war is doing nothing to help the Afghan people. Many people are far worse off than before the war started. He said: “Some people have to sell their children to feed their families.”

Stop the War

Nahella Ashraf, Chair of Manchester Stop the War, began her speech by reminding the audience of the main reasons Britain had gone to war.

She said: “We were told that we were looking for Osama Bin Laden dead or alive and to end Al-Qaeda’s movement.”

Other justifications for the war were to promote democracy and to fight for the rights of women in Afghanistan. She argued that this had not happened and in fact in many cases people were far worse off.

She said: “The support fDiscussion during the fringe meeting. By David Hedgesor the Taliban is growing. This doesn’t mean that the Afghan people support them, but rather they support anyone who fights against the people who are killing young men, woman and children.”

Links (open in new windows):

http://www.mancsagainsttanks.org/

www.stopwar.org.uk

By Julija Jegorova | Posted in fringe events | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)