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.

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.

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.

She pocketed £45 after correctly guessing the length of the General Secretary’s address to delegates this morning. It was 15 minutes and 16 seconds long.

“A few drinks…”

She told us what she plans to do with her winnings: “I’m sure that between the admin team we can get something out of it.”

“Maybe some biscuits, and a few drinks to say thank you for everyone that has helped out because everyone’s been really great.”

The competition has become ADM tradition, inspired by Jeremy’s past speeches which have been known to last for over 45 minutes.

This year saw Jeremy discussing topics such as the problems facing the NUJ and local news media.