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Full Stop. Ends... Young journalists flee newspapers for PR - MAGAZINE OF THE NATIONAL UNION OF JOURNALISTS
M A G A Z I N E   O F   T H E   N AT I O N A L        U N I O N       O F   J O U R N A L I S T S

                                     WWW.NUJ.ORG.UK | MAY-JUNE 2018

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Full Stop. Ends... Young journalists flee newspapers for PR - MAGAZINE OF THE NATIONAL UNION OF JOURNALISTS
Contents

“
                                                                              Main feature
                                                                              12 Are young dreams being dashed?
                                                                                 Why new entrants leave journalism

                     D
                            id you dream of becoming a reporter
                                                                              News
                            or an editor? Many of us did, attracted
                                                                              03 Al Jazeera strike over pay
                            by an exciting career full of variety                Protest over four-year wage freeze
                            and the potential to hold power to                04 Bid to boost women’s media presence
                            account.                                             Campaign taken to Scottish TUC
                  But, as Ruth Addicott finds in our cover feature,
               many young people are deserting these roles                    05 More job cuts at Trinity Mirror
not long after achieving them, finding that the reality of                       Digital drive rolls on
clickbait driven, office-bound journalism today is not what                   06 NUJ Delegate Meeting 2018
they dreamt of.                                                                  Conference reports
  And then there’s the pay…or lack of it. Louise Tickle looks at

                                                                              Features
the prevalence of media organisations and other groups who
expect journalists to work for nothing.
  Since the last edition of The Journalist the NUJ has held its               10 A day in the life of
biennial delegate meeting – the policy setting framework for                     A union communications journalist
the union. Low pay, worsening conditions at the BBC, Iran’s
treatment of journalists on the BBC’s Persian service and many                12 S
                                                                                  coop
other issues were on the busy agenda in Southport.                               International reporting then and now
  There was also a motion calling for The Journalist to remain a              16 Pay day mayday
print publication published at least six times a year. It came as
                                                                                 Growing demands for free work
the union’s strategic communications review raised a question
over the frequency of the magazine. I was delighted that the
motion from Bristol branch was passed with no opposition.                     Regulars
I’m glad that the delegates showed that they appreciate the
                                                                              09 Viewpoint
magazine. I know many non-activist members also value it.
                                                                              19 NUJ & Me
                                                                              25 Story behind the picture

                                                     ”
                                                                              26 And finally...

Christine Buckley
Editor
@mschrisbuckley

                                                                                          Arts with
                                                                                          Attitude
                                                                                          Pages 20-21
 Editor                         NUJ
 journalist@nuj.org.uk          72 Acton Street
 Design                         London WC1X 9NB
 Surgerycreations.com           info@nuj.org.uk
 info@surgerycreations.com      www.nuj.org.uk

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 Print
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                                nujscotland@nuj.org.uk                     Page 18
 Warners
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                                                                                                          Page 22-23

02 | theJournalist
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news

Al-Jazeera staff vote on                                                                                                             inbrief...

nine per cent pay offer
                                                                                                                                     PRESS REVIEW CHAIR
                                                                                                                                     IS DAME FRANCES

                                                                                                    “
                                                                                                                                     The Government has appointed
                                                                                                                                     Dame Frances Cairncross as chair of
As The Journalist went                                             pay increase of 3 per cent for                                    its review of press sustainability in
to press, staff at                                                 2019. Members of the NUJ                                          the UK and has published its terms
Al Jazeera’s English-                                              and Bectu will now vote to                                        of reference. She is a former
language TV channel in                                             accept or reject the offer.                                       economic journalist, author and
London were preparing to                                              The management’s offer        Solidarity and all               academic administrator.
vote on a pay offer brokered
by the conciliation service
                                                                   follows three years of
                                                                   negotiations and four years
                                                                                                    good wishes to
Acas.                                                              without a pay rise. The joint    colleagues at Al                 UK STATIC IN PRESS
   The nine per cent offer over                                    unions said they hoped the                                        FREEDOM INDEX
two years came as staff had                                        offer was proof that Al          Jazeera English from             Britain has stayed at number 40 out
been preparing to stage a                                          Jazeera will now take the        the NUJ’s BBC Radio              of 180 countries on the 2018 World
one-day strike followed by                                         collective bargaining process,                                    Press Freedom Index compiled by
indefinite action short of a                                       and its relationship with the    and Future Media                 Reporters without Borders. It was
                                                                                                                                     named as one of the worst
strike.
   The NUJ had said that the
                                                                   staff unions, seriously.
                                                                      Messages of support for
                                                                                                    Chapel. You deserve              countries for press freedom in
channel, which is funded by       meal breaks in full; not         the Al Jazeera staff have        a pay rise!                      western Europe. When the index
the Qatari government, has        answering telephone calls,       included other unions and                                         began in 2002 the UK was 22nd.
failed to honour an               emails and message out of        the NUJ’s BBC Radio and
agreement to negotiate pay        normal working hours and on      Future Media Chapel, which       NUJ’s BBC Radio
on an annual basis. Both          days off work; and the           said: “Solidarity and all good                                    TORRANCE HITS OUT
members of the NUJ and            withdrawal of goodwill.          wishes to colleagues at Al                                        AT ‘ONLINE BILE’
Bectu, which represents              Al Jazeera English is based   Jazeera English from the                                          David Torrance, the Herald political
technical staff, voted to take    in Doha and has about 130        NUJ’s BBC Radio and Future                                        columnist and Scottish freelance
action.                           staff in London.                 Media Chapel. You deserve                                         has left journalism, partly because
   Following the strike the          The deal for 2018 is an       a pay rise! Unless journalists                                    of the rise of ‘online bile’ and
chapel had planned indefinite     across-the board pay increase    are paid properly, there’ll                                       ‘puerile’ political discourse.
action involving taking           of six per cent backdated to 1   be no such thing as press                                         Torrance, who has been a journalist
statutory and contractual         January and a consolidated       freedom.”                                                         for 18 years, said political discourse
                                                                                                                                     had ‘narrowed’ following the 2011
                                                                                                                                     Holyrood election, leading him to
                                                                                                                                     become a ‘hate figure’.

 Journalists killed by Islamic State                                                                                                 VANITY FAIR PUTS
 Ten journalists were             central Kabul on 30 April.       attack the suicide bomber        Shah from the BBC’s Afghan       UP A PAYWALL
 killed on one day in             The first bomb was exploded      disguised himself as a           service was shot dead in         Vanity Fair online has moved
 Afghanistan after the            and the second was               journalist. Nine journalists     Khost province.                  behind a paywall.Readers need a
 so-called Islamic State          detonated 20 minutes later       were killed in Kabul out           More than 1000                 subscription to access all articles on
 deliberately targeted            among those who had come         of 25 people who lost            journalists have been killed     the website, but can access four
 journalists.                     to rescue and report on the      their lives.                     worldwide over the past          free articles per month. US editor
   Two suicide attacks hit        atrocity. In the subsequent         On the same day Ahmad         15 years.                        Radhika Jones promised to deliver
                                                                                                                                     ‘agenda setting journalism’, and
                                                                                                                                     ‘in-depth reporting’’.

                 Chris, Charlie and Joyce are honoured
                                                                                                                                     WESTMORLAND
                 NUJ activists Chris Frost, Charlie Harkness and Joyce                                                               GAZETTE HITS 200
                 McMillan were made members of honour at last                                                                        The Westmorland Gazette is
                 month’s delegate meeting in Southport.                                                                              celebrating its 200th anniversary
                   Chris is an emeritus professor at Liverpool John Moores                                                           with a museum exhibition. The
                 University and chair of the union’s ethics council.                                                                 weekly newspaper covers the Lake
                   Charlie is a former deputy general secretary of the NUJ as                                                        District and Cumbria area since May
                 well as having had a long career in journalism and                                                                  1818, and has a circulation of
                 communications.                                                                                                     around 15,000 with more than
                   Theatre critic and political commentator Joyce has been an                                                        100,000 readers across print and
                 NUJ member since 1981. She has been chair and treasurer of                                                          online.
                 Edinburgh freelance branch
                 NUJ delegate meeting, pages 6-8
                                                                                                                     PAUL HERRMANN

                                                                                                                                                      theJournalist | 03
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news

inbrief...                              NUJ tackles women’s
                                        media representation
PULITZER PRIZE FOR
WEINSTEIN WORK
The New York Times and the New
Yorker’s investigative reporting,
which exposed allegations against       Scottish NUJ delegates to the Scottish            oppressed groups are represented.”
film producer Harvey Weinstein, has     Trades Union Congress in Aviemore led                Diljeet Bhachu, a musician and delegate of
won a Pulitzer prize. Allegations by    the charge for increased representation of        the Musicians’ Union, highlighted the issue of
actors who had worked with the          women.                                            visibility. She said: “Visibility has the power to
producer led to the worldwide              The delegation comprised Liz Ely, Simon        raise aspiration, and encourage real inclusivity
#MeToo movement of women                Barrow, Jim Symonds and Scotland’s NUJ            and equality.
speaking up about sexual assault.       organiser Dominic Bascombe.                          “But to have some visibility is not enough.

                                                                                                                                               “
                                           The NUJ’s motion challenging the               Tokenism is also damaging. Under-
                                        representation of women in the media won          represented people are diverse, and
NME GOES ONLINE AS                      support from all unions                                                 representation needs to
PRINT MAKES LOSS                        attending.                                                              reflect this plurality too.
Music magazine NME has moved to            The motion recognised                                                People are more than
online publication only following
continuing losses while it was a free
                                        the power of the media to
                                        affect how under-
                                                                                                                their labels.”
                                                                                                                   The NUJ delegation also
                                                                                                                                               I have lost count of
print publication. The NME, which       represented groups saw                                                  put forward a motion           how many times I
was launched in 1952, went on free      themselves and how consumers of media             challenging the strategy of media companies
distribution for two and a half years   viewed them. It called for a joint, cohesive      to increase the use of user-generated content        have heard groups
before it ended print altogether.       approach to tackle negative portrayals and        to the detriment of professional journalists.        of men on the radio
New editor Charlotte Gunn has           messages.                                            A third motion from the union called on
pledged to make the NME the music          Liz Ely said: “I have lost count of how many   the STUC to explore different models of              discussing the gender
industry’s bible once again.            times I have heard groups of men on the radio
                                        discussing the gender pay gap, or the #MeToo
                                                                                          ownership and to consider the introduction
                                                                                          of the cooperative model approach for
                                                                                                                                               pay gap, or the
                                        movement.                                         some newspapers.                                     #MeToo movement
CHANNEL 4 TO OPEN                          “Whenever we have a platform, we represent        This follows work by NUJ Scotland about
NEW BUREAUX                             ourselves and affect how others see us. In the    cooperative ownership s for local newspapers
Channel 4 News is to open three         trade union movement and across the media,        that have been threatened with closure or            Liz Ely
new bureaux outside London,             we’re working to change how women and all         severe editorial cuts.                               Scottish NUJ delegate
including one ‘major hub’ as part of
an initiative to extend its reach and

                                                         Men earn more across our industry
representation in the UK. The
broadcaster said it aimed to become
the first peak-time national news
programme to co-anchor from London                       Women in the media industry are losing out to men in pay, with their male colleagues
and a studio elsewhere from 2020.                        earning more, occupying more senior roles and receiving bigger bonuses, the government
                                                         gender pay reporting service has revealed.
                                                           An analysis by Press Gazette showed that 91 per cent of
HUNGARIAN DAILY                                          UK-based media companies paid men more than women on
FORCED TO CLOSE                                          average, based on the mean hourly rate, and 85 per cent paid
The Hungarian opposition daily                           men more in bonus pay.
newspaper Magyar Nemzet closed                             The union is encouraging chapels to carry out their own pay
last month. There had been after a                       audits to find out how pay is distributed across employees,
sudden increase in rent of the                           including by age, ethnicity and length of service.
offices. The owners are reportedly                         The Telegraph has one of the highest gender pay gaps in
close to the recently re-elected                         the industry with women getting paid 35 per cent less than
president Viktor Orbán. Radio                            men on average.
station Lánchíd Rádió has also
stopped broadcasting.

5 NEWS HIRES BULMAN
                                         New edition of paper for Mid-Ulster
AS DEPUTY EDITOR                         One of Tyrone’s oldest           streets at the end of             edition was needed to              launched in Mid-Ulster. In
ITV News head of planning Jessica        established weekly               February.                         complement the Tyrone              addition, we have taken on
Bulman has been appointed deputy         newspapers, the Tyrone              Due to rising demands and      Courier.                           an extra journalist.”
editor of 5 News. She has overseen       Courier, has launched a new      to serve the paper’s growing         Editor Ian Greer said: “This      Both the Tyrone Courier
the planning of UK and specialist        edition.                         readership in the areas of        is a tough time for the            and the Mid-Ulster Courier
content at ITV News for two                The first issue of the         Cookstown and Magherafelt,        newspaper industry, so it is       are published on Tuesday
years. She will support editor Cat       Mid-Ulster Courier hit the       it was felt a new Mid-Ulster      refreshing to see a new title      mornings.
FitzSimons.

04 | theJournalist
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news

More job cuts in Trinity                                                                                                                                inbrief...

Mirror’s digital drive
                                                                                                                                                        FT DROPS OUTDATED
                                                                                                                                                        ‘SIR’ FROM LETTERS

                                                                                                                      “
                                                                                                                                                        The FT has dropped the ‘Sir’,
                                                                                                                                                        greeting from its readers’ letters. The
Trinity Mirror is to cut 49 more jobs as                                                                                                                newspaper, which has a male editor
it continues establishing its digital Live                                                                                                              (Lionel Barber) said the term was old
brand. Online news covering Hull, Grimsby,                                                                                                              fashioned. The Guardian stopped
Teesside, Plymouth and Cheshire will be                                                                                                                 using ‘Sir’ on letters in 1988 but
published under the HullLive, GrimsbyLive,                                                                            Further job cuts are              many other titles still use it.
TeessideLive, PlymouthLive and CheshireLive
brands.
                                                                                                                      terrible news for our
   This follows the loss of 49 jobs announced                                                                         members at Trinity                HOTEL PLANS FOR
in February with the creation of BristolLive,                                                                                                           ECHO BUILDING
StokeontrentLive, CoventryLive, DerbyshireLive,                                                                       Mirror and will                   The Liverpool Echo has left the
NottinghamshireLive and LeicestershireLive.
Newsrooms in Bath and Burton became part                        heritage and loyalties? These job losses will
                                                                                                                      heighten concerns                 offices it has occupied for the past
                                                                                                                                                        45 years. The building in Old Hall
of the SomersetLive and DerbyshireLive digital                  add extra work and pressure on to an                  over the company’s                Street will be redeveloped into a
                                                                                                                                                        hotel. The paper has moved to new
brands, despite Burton being in Staffordshire.
   The NUJ has called the cuts ‘terrible’ and is
                                                                already-overstretched staff.
                                                                   “It is vital that the consultations over these
                                                                                                                      strategic direction               offices in nearby St Paul’s Square.
concerned that the company is in some cases                     redundancies are as meaningful and                                                      Trinity Mirror, the Echo’s owner,
pre-selecting posts without consultation and                    transparent as possible. It is hugely disturbing       Michelle Stanistreet             said that the old building was a
offering former Local World journalists                         that the company is carrying out a process of          NUJ general secretary            purpose-built print operation and
statutory redundancy terms only. Trinity Mirror                 ‘pre-selection’ which inevitably leads to fears                                         the shift to digital meant the paper
bought Local World three years ago.                             that the outcomes are predetermined.                                                    had different requirements.
   Michelle Stanistreet, NUJ general secretary,                    “Yet again, Trinity Mirror is refusing to tackle
said: “Further job cuts are terrible news for                   the scourge that is redundancy terms at
our members at Trinity Mirror and will                          journalists from Local World titles. For a blue                                         ARCHANT SEES SALES
heighten concerns over the company’s                            chip company to treat sections of their staff as                                        AND PROFITS FALL
strategic direction. Will these ‘Live’ brands                   second-class employees, being paid only                                                 Archant, the regional news group
mean anything to individual communities and                     statutory redundancy terms, is behaviour worthy                                         that publishes the Eastern Daily
towns proud of their distinct traditions,                       of the most bargain basement employer.”                                                 Press and more than 50 other titles,
                                                                                                                                                        suffered an 11 per cent fall in total

                                           Deal to buy Express group goes to Ofcom
                                                                                                                                                        revenue to £95.5 million last year.
                                                                                                                                                        Operating profit was down by 44 per
                                                                                                                                                        cent on a like-for-like basis to £4.7
                                                                Matt Hancock, the culture secretary, has referred Trinity Mirror’s                      million. Advertising revenue was
              HELOISE / ALAMY STOCK PHOT

                                                                £200 million deal to buy the Express and Star newspapers to the media                   down 12 per cent at £70.9 million.
                                                                regulator Ofcom over issues including plurality and the editorial independence
                                                                of Richard Desmond’s titles.
                                                                   Trinity Mirror’s shareholders voted to back the deal to add the Daily Express,       LOCAL PAPER EDITOR
                                                                Sunday Express, Daily Star and Daily Star Sunday newspapers, as well as                 BECOMES COUNCIL PR
                                                                magazines including celebrity title OK!, to its national titles the Daily Mirror,       Chris Prime, editor of the Newark
                                                                Sunday Mirror and Sunday People.                                                        Advertiser, has left after 10 years
                                                                   Mr Hancock, who is able to block the deal or force a sell-off of some titles, has    in the role. He is moving to local
                                                                given Ofcom until 31 May to complete its investigation. He has also asked the           government PR. He first joined the
                                                                Competition Markets Authority to report back on any wider competition issues            family-owned paper in 1987 as a
                                                                the deal may raise.                                                                     junior reporter, then moved to the
                                                                                                                                                        Nottingham Post. He rejoined the
                                                                                                                                                        Advertiser in 1994 and took over as
                                                                                                                                                        deputy editor in 2004.
 Clash over new roles after redundancies
 The chapel at the                               against redundancies.            in ‘roles that mimic the            NUJ head office. The two new      RADIO 4 PRESENTERS
 Swindon Advertiser has                            The chapel questioned the      former positions’.                  audience and content editor       SWITCH PLACES
 dismissed as ‘wrong’                            ‘soundness’ of Newsquest’s         Toby Granville, Newsquest’s       roles are to fill the vacancies   Radio 4 news presenters Martha
 Newsquest’s justification for                   plan to replace valued staff     editorial development               created by recent resignations.   Kearney and Sarah Montague have
 advertising two newsdesk                        with less experienced people     director, said: “This is more       They are not replacing any of     traded places. Kearney has moved
 roles after making the news                     on significantly less money      nonsense being stirred up by        the roles made redundant.”        from the World at One to the Today
 editor redundant.                                                                                                      A Swindon chapel                programme, while Montague has
   This year, staff at the paper                                                                                      spokesman said this               gone from Today to the World at
 staged a strike in protest                                                                                           explanation was wrong.            One. Montague worked on the
                                                                                                                                                        Today programme for 18 years.

                                                                                                                                                                          theJournalist | 05
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Long-term low pay was a key issue at the NUJ’s delegate meeting. The
conference also heard of growing unrest in the BBC, remembered lives lost
worldwide and called on the union to support its own magazine in print
                                                                                                                                                    ALL PICTURES PAUL HERRMANN

Campaign to                                                             The campaign will also look at ways to close the gender pay
                                                                      gap which has been laid bare at the BBC and other media

fight against
                                                                      organisations after they had to publish statistics on pay equality.
                                                                        As well as running the Journalists Need a Pay Rise campaign,
                                                                      DM also instructed the NEC to look at the potential benefit to

low pay
                                                                      NUJ members of the implementation of the living wage, as
                                                                      defined by the Living Wage Foundation of £8.75 an hour

                                                                                                                                             “
                                                                      generally and £10.20 in London.
                                                                        The union is also going to attend more UK media
                                                                      organisations’ shareholders’ meetings to raise concerns, and
The union is to launch a broad pay campaign                           will be sending a group to the shareholders’ meeting of
– Journalists Need a Pay Rise – drawing on fights by other            Newsquest’s US parent Gannett. Until last year, Newsquest staff
groups of workers to secure better conditions for the low-paid.       had suffered a decade of pay freezes.
   A motion tabled by South Yorkshire branch to the NUJ’s                                                                                    Like other workers,
biennial delegate meeting (DM) in Southport last month
called on the national executive council (NEC) to launch a pay
                                                                                                                                             journalists have
campaign across the union.                                                                                                                   effectively suffered
   It said: “This DM believes journalists, like other workers,
have effectively suffered pay cuts for too long. The time is right
                                                                                                                                             pay cuts for too long.
for a pay campaign across the whole union to launch initiatives                                                                              The time is right for a
– including calling for a minimum of the living wage for all
freelance members – an activity that would act as a union                                                                                    pay campaign across
drive and help build organisation in all sectors.”
   Julia Armstrong, a member of the South Yorkshire branch
                                                                                                                                             the whole union
who works on the Sheffield Star, said pay and conditions were
at their worst in the many years she had been attending DM.                                                                                  South Yorkshire branch

More action to support Persian service members
The union is to step up pressure on                 Iran’s national security. It has banned 152          solidarity to stop the targeting of journalists.
the Iranian authorities over the                    staff from buying or selling property inside            The families living in Iran of the BBC
harassment of journalists working for the           Iran – a measure that has effectively frozen         journalists have also complained of
BBC’s Persian Service.                              their assets.                                        harassment.
  The Iranian government has filed criminal            A motion from the NEC said: “DM endorses             Shayan Sardarizadeh, an Iranian citizen,
charges against almost all of the Iranian           the union’s campaigning efforts to date, and         told delegates he was proud to work for the
journalists who work for the Persian service in     pledges to continue to support BBC Persian           BBC. He said: “I’m very fortunate in working in
London, accusing them of conspiracy against         Service journalists’ call for global support and     a country that has free speech.”

                                                                     Remembering journalists’ lives
                                                                     Delegates gathered on             general secretary of the             journalists had been killed
                                                                     the waterfront outside            International Federation of          – nearly 2,500 since 1990.
                                                                     Southport’s Floral Hall for a     Journalists (IFJ). He said: “In        “These statistics are
                                                                     silent tribute to the 162         2017, Mexico, Yemen,                 unacceptable because behind
                                                                     journalists who have been         Afghanistan, Pakistan and            these figures are women and
                                                                     killed worldwide since the last   India were the most                  men, mothers and fathers
                                                                     delegate meeting in 2016.         dangerous countries in the           – journalists killed precisely
                                                                     Earlier the meeting heard         world for journalists. Last          because they were
                                                                     from Anthony Bellanger,           year, the IFJ reported 82            journalists. Nothiang else.”

06 | theJournalist
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delegate meeting 2018

Warning of strikes at                                                                                                                 inbrief...

the BBC over conditions
                                                                                                                                      EVENT TO EXAMINE
                                                                                                                                      POVERTY REPORTING

                                                                                                      “
                                                                                                                                      The union will organise a national
                                                                                                                                      conference looking at the reporting
Industrial action could                                              broadcaster, by whatever                                         of poverty following negative
soon break out at the                                                means are deemed                                                 depictions of poorer people and
BBC in a clash over terms                                            appropriate and agreed by                                        benefits issues on TV and in print.
and conditions, delegates                                            the union’s structures.”                                         The move follows the work by
heard. This comes amid                                                  In addition, DM voted to      Stop using us as a              Rachel Broady and the Manchester
                                                                                                                                      & Salford branch in highlighting the
continued anger over equal
pay problems at the
                                                                     support journalists working at
                                                                     Red Bee Media. David
                                                                                                      grab-all. Why should            issue and drafting guidelines..
corporation and cuts to its                                          Gallagher of BBC London said:    the BBC become part
budget.                                                              “These people who edit
   Pierre Vicary, chair of the                                       subtitles and the EPG            of the Department of            ‘ONE UNION’ TAKE TO
Broadcasting Industrial                                              [electronic programme guide]     Work & Pensions and             BOOST RECRUITMENT
Council and newly elected                                            were once part of the BBC.                                       Following an increase in members in
vice-president of the NUJ,        Pierre said they could soon        Since then, they have suffered   pay for free licences           the union’s new media, digital and
                                                                                                                                      independent broadcasting sectors,
said: “National strikes could
be on their way.”
                                  be reaching a crunch point.
                                     The concern over these
                                                                     a toxic combination of
                                                                     outsourcing, offshoring and
                                                                                                      for the over-75s?               delegates called for a ‘one union’
   He added: “Stop using us       proposals and the high-            extreme cost-cutting                                             rather than a sectoral approach to
as a grab-all. Why should the     profile equal pay campaign         measures which have              Pierre Vicary                   recruitment to further boost
BBC become part of the            at the BBC has helped recruit      seriously degraded the                                           membership. Other motions called
Department of Work &              new NUJ members, some of           editorial operation.”                                            on the NEC to encourage branches
Pensions and pay for the free     whom attended DM.                     Delegates also instructed                                     to engage with hyperlocal websites.
licences of the over-75s?”           A motion from the BBC           the NEC to support NUJ
   Talks over proposed            World Service was passed,          members at the Al-Araby TV
changes to terms and              instructing the NEC to             channel. Members and reps                                        SUPPORT TO FIGHT
conditions have been              “continue fighting any             have complained of                                               ONLINE ABUSE
continuing for more than a        detrimental changes to             victimisation and Qatari                                         The union is to support journalists
year and have angered many        members’ terms and                 owner Fadaat Media has                                           who suffer online abuse with
journalists at the corporation.   conditions at our public service   refused to talk to the union.                                    measures including: an awareness
                                                                                                                                      campaign; a toolkit for journalists
                                                                                                                                      to protect themselves; guides on
                                                                                                                                      gathering evidence; encouraging

 Union subscriptions rise is rejected
                                                                                                                                      the reporting of incidents to
                                                                                                                                      platforms and the police; and
                                                                                                                                      lobbying politicians.
 A move to increase               about £120,000 per year in         floors in Headland House         including newly elected NEC
 subscription payments            extra income.                      became fully flowing in          member for London Natasha
 for NUJ members was                 Although the union’s            2020.                            Bernal, complained that the     60+ GROUP TO HELP
 rejected by the delegate         finances are considerably             All office space in the       rises fell disproportionately   YOUNG JOURNALISTS
 meeting.                         stronger than they were at         renovated headquarters is        on lower-paid members.          The NUJ’s 60+ council is to work on
   The NEC had asked for          the last DM, the NEC called        now let but tenants have            A subs increase requires     mentoring programmes to support
 authority to raise subs by       for a subs rise to help fund       introductory rent-free or        the backing of a two-thirds     young journalists and those
 between 50p and 60p a            day-to-day work and staffing       low-rent periods.                majority of delegates, which    working alone such as community
 month in the hope of raising     until income from letting             However, some delegates,      the motion failed to achieve.   website editors. A fringe meeting
                                                                                                                                      held by the council heard from a
                                                                                                                                      young first-time delegate who said
                                                                                                                                      young journalists would value the

                 Use parliamentary group, MP urges
                                                                                                                                      support of experienced colleagues.

                                                    Plaid Cymru MP Liz Saville-Roberts pledged to advance the                         MANIFESTO PLEDGES
                                                    interests of the NUJ and journalism in Westminster as part of the union’s         ON WORK WELCOMED
                                                    cross-party parliamentary group. The MP for Dwyfor Meirionnyd told delegates      DM welcomed pledges by the
                                                    that she understood very well the attrition taking place in the industry.         Labour Party and Scottish National
                                                       A former journalist and long-standing NUJ member, she said that her old        parties to repeal the 2016 Trade
                                                    newspaper the Caernarfon and Denbigh Herald had suffered a 28 per cent            Union Act and commitments by
                                                    decline in circulation and that no major Welsh title was now printed in Wales.    Labour, the SNP and the Liberal
                                                       She told NUJ members to make the most of the parliamentary group:              Democrats to introduce
                                                    “We can amplify matters and concerns for you in Westminster. We work in a         employment rights including a ban
                                                    cross-party fashion and there is a will to defend press freedom.”                 on fees for employment tribunals.

                                                                                                                                                       theJournalist | 07
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delegate meeting 2018

inbrief...
STRUCURAL REVIEW
                                       Support for The Journalist in print
DIDN’T TAKE SHAPE                      The NEC has been instructed         uncertainty over the future          regular print publication.        that the magazine was
An instruction from the previous       to maintain The Journalist in       frequency of the magazine,              Its report to the conference   now the only print publication
delegate meeting in 2016 calling on    print for at least six editions a   which is sent out to all             said: “The NUJ should be flying   for the media industry
the NEC to carry out a root and        year – the current frequency of     members.                             the flag for print journalism.    following the shift of Press
branch structural review of the        the magazine.                          The review said that its future      “We deplore the loss of        Gazette to online.
union was not carried out. Seamus         A motion from Bristol branch     frequency would be a matter          media titles in print and            She said that the digital
Dooley, assistant general secretary,   said: “This DM believes that        for the new NEC to decide.           support the continuation of       take-up of NUJ online
had called the motion the most         the NUJ should lead the way in         The Journalist editorial          print journalism.                 publications, such as
important one from the 2016 DM.        supporting print publications.”     advisory board, a DM-elected            “What signal would it          NUJ Informed, had been
Tim Dawson, president, explained          The motion was carried with      body that supports the               send out if we were to cease      found to be low and that
in his report to this DM that the      no one speaking against it.         independence of the                  printing our own flagship         it was a valuable for a
union’s development committee             The motion came as the           magazine’s editor, had also          publication?”                     membership organisation to
had not functioned well and that       union’s strategic                   voiced support for the                  Christine Buckley, editor of   be able to communicate with
significant managerial time had        communications review raised        magazine continuing as a             The Journalist, told delegates    its members directly.
been spent on the communications
review. He said that it may not be
possible to deliver more than one
significant review but he promised
                                        Welsh channel cash call                                                              Welsh Assembly rather
                                                                                                                             than Westminster.
                                                                                                                                                        funding to a shrinking
                                                                                                                                                        and insecure budget.”
to conduct such a review if there      Delegates backed             government funding           the past 10 years.            Nick Powell of the         He said money was
was still support for it and if the    a campaign to                for the channel to end         A motion from the         WEC said that the          needed from
NEC backed it.                         ensure proper funding        by 2022. After then, all     union’s Welsh               channel was a vital        politicians but also
                                       for Welsh language           its money will come          executive council           part of Welsh culture.     that it was important
                                       broadcaster S4C.             from the licence fee.        (WEC) called for the          He told conference:      to guarantee
For full coverage of the                 The move is in                DM heard S4C had          broadcaster to be           “S4C has gone from         independence from
delegate meeting go to                 response to plans for        seen its income fall by      funded in Wales and         having secure and          political control and
www.nuj.org.uk                         nearly £7 million in         nearly £20 million in        to be overseen by the       even generous              influence.

     Moved house or
     changed your
     email address?

     Please let us know.
     You can update your membership
     record on the website nuj.org.uk or
     email membership@nuj.org.uk

8 | theJournalist
Full Stop. Ends... Young journalists flee newspapers for PR - MAGAZINE OF THE NATIONAL UNION OF JOURNALISTS
viewpoint

 Caroline Thain says that it’s vital to secure proper recognition

Let’s crack down                                                                                                  were as much to hold writers
                                                                                                                  accountable for errors or wrongdoing

on byline banditry
                                                                                                                  as they were for glorifying authors.
                                                                                                                    Many might ask if the absence of
                                                                                                                  a byline, a shared byline or byline
                                                                                                                  spelling error can be thought of as a
                                                                                                                  blessing. With fewer subeditors, articles
                                                                                                                  are often not subbed but bashed out

    S
                   ince leaving office-                                 Boyle says: “Bylines say you own          by busy staffers who frequently make
                   based journalism, I                               your work. We are not asking for the         mistakes. At least their typos are
                   have built a portfolio I                          crown jewels, just that our work is          attributable to them.
                   am proud of, with                                 officially, publicly recognised as ours.       But where so much has changed
                   stories published in                              When Paul McCartney writes a song, he        in an industry that elicits pride, it is
major newspapers. Bylines matter –                                   doesn’t allow another musician to say        undoubtedly a shame if hacks miss
since I started out aged 16 until today                              he has done it. When Dan Brown writes        out on well-deserved recognition and
as a freelancer, they have been a                                    a novel, he doesn’t allow another writer     are afraid to raise the matter of having
hallmark linking my ownership, talent                                to put their name on it – or the editor      their bylines nicked, in case it costs
and effort to my latest scoop.                                       who will have tweaked the copy.              them professionally.
   I file every story with ‘By Caroline                                 “I think up all my own stories, find
Thain’ at the top and would never want                               interviewees, encourage them to speak,
copy printed without it. I specify I want                            sell the idea to a publication, then
a byline as I agree payment terms and,                               write the piece. It may need a couple of
especially as I work from home, it is                                hundred words cutting or tightening
important for keeping up my profile.                                 but that does not allow a salaried staffer
   I was disappointed when I excitedly                               to put their name on it first or at all.”
searched for a recent national news                                     Boyle is in dispute with another
exclusive and found the section editor                               national newspaper now. She adds: “It
had added her name and tagged mine                                   is vital we keep hold of our property.
on, as if I were on work experience.                                 Signing away work means signing
   I found the case study, researched                                away future earnings. I would like
the story and filed meticulous copy. I                               to see an overhaul of the shoddy,
sourced images and turned it round                                   legally dubious practices of byline
quickly. She sliced and diced it then                                banditry of freelancer’s work.”
stuck her name on. I politely requested                                 Another important issue to

                                              “
that she remove her name from the                                    consider is that stories with
online version. She refused.                                         shared bylines are trickier to
   The problem is if you defend your                                 find in a Google search.
right to a byline, you risk not being                                   But, valuable as they are,
used again. It was little me in my            It is not vanity. It   bylines are not enough,
kitchen versus her with a firstname.
surname@majornewstitle email                  is about etiquette     according to journalism
                                                                     lecturer and writing coach Susan
address, other salaried journalists
around her and influence over how
                                              and credibility.       Grossman. She says: “Like most
                                                                     creatives, we have egos. We need our
much payment I receive and when.              Bylines can be         talent recognised to get more work.
   It is not vanity. It is about etiquette                           We need our names in prestigious
and credibility. Bylines can be hard          hard to come by        titles to grow our status. We also

                                              and if it’s worth
to come by and if it’s worth buying,                                 need payment. A byline alone is
it’s worth bylining, surely? Freelance                               neither ethical nor enough. As often
journalist Sheron Boyle won a notable
victory after refusing to let go of her
                                              buying, it’s worth     as not, they’ll spell your name
                                                                     wrong. A student of mine uses a
single byline, meaning The Sun held           bylining, surely?      pseudonym for that reason.”

                                              ”
her copy for three months before                                        Omitting a byline has not
agreeing to let her have what, she                                   always been seen as purely
argues, was hers all along.                                          negative. Historically, bylines

        
8       For all the latest news from the NUJ go to www.nuj.org.uk

                                                                                                                                            theJournalist | 9
Full Stop. Ends... Young journalists flee newspapers for PR - MAGAZINE OF THE NATIONAL UNION OF JOURNALISTS
un ion
  a mmunications
a day in the life of

  co       alist
      journ
                                                        Spin doctor, campaigner,
    L
                    ast summer on holiday in France                                                            the recent inflation busting Cadbury deal
                    my wife and I got chatting with a                                                          secured for our members. Others will be
                    couple at the bar on the            journalist…Alex Flynn                                  bombshells, which have huge ramifications for

                                                        says that he is a bit of all
                    campsite we were staying at. Our                                                           our members such as the recent collapse of
                    daughter was playing with their                                                            Monarch or job losses at BAE Systems.

                                                        of those roles
daughter while our conversation covered the                                                                       Running through all these stories are people,
usual moans and groans about the weather,                                                                      their families and their livelihoods. Unite
sights to see and places to eat.                                                                               members, who through their hard earned wages
   A couple of glasses of red later, that line of       events, such as Sports Direct’s annual general         pay their subs to pay my wages to ensure they
chat exhausted, I was asked, “so what job do you        meeting.                                               have a voice in an increasingly fragmented and
do then?” “I work for Unite, a trade union where           My colleagues and I also compiled what we           at times hostile media.
I’m the head of media and campaigns”, I replied.        dubbed the ‘dossier of shame’. The basis of our           In the case of BAE we knew something bad was
“Oh… but what it is you actually do?” I was asked       written evidence to parliament’s inquiry into          afoot when news leaked via Sky that the
again. “Are you a spin doctor, campaigner,              Sport Direct, it formed the platform for Unite         company was rumoured to be cutting 1,000
journalist or what?”                                    assistant general secretary Steve Turner and           jobs from its fighter and trainer jet division.
   “A bit of all of the above”, I replied and then      regional officer Luke Primarolo’s explosive            Coming a day before a series of company
the conversation turned to Sports Direct and            evidence to MPs ahead of Mike Ashley’s grilling        mass meetings with the workforce was
Unite’s campaign. Because of its high profile - 17      by the select committee.                               scheduled the news partially confirmed
million people have reportedly watched the                 The strength in the evidence was that it was        our worst fears. We felt there was worse
house of commons evidence session from last             sourced and strenuously checked, each claim            to come.
year- it’s an identifiable example that usually         evidenced with FoI requests, pay slips and
elicits an “ah yes” from people.                        worker testimony. In short rigorous journalist
   It succeeded in putting Mike Ashley under the        practice meant there was no denying it.
spotlight and exposing Victorian work practices,           Away from the long-term projects such as
it’s fair to say that the Sports Direct campaign        Sports Direct, the typical day in my role at Unite
created waves and importantly real change               is rich and varied. Unite is unique among trade
for workers too. Two years in the making it             unions in both its size and scope with members
featured on the front and back pages of national        from every walk of life, from the shop floor to
newspapers and its success was built on                 the boardroom, from vicars to bus drivers.
teamwork.                                                  Because of this you are partly in the hands of
   With investigations from Channel 4’s                 the news gods. Typically the team and I will deal
Dispatches, Inside Out on the BBC and the               around four stories a day, dealing with
Guardian’s excellent Simon Goodley, whose               journalists across the country from print, online
undercover report blew the lid on minimum               to broadcast. On the one hand you could be
wage breaches, it demonstrated the importance           dealing with the editor of the Isle of Wight
of good quality journalism in holding power             County Press and then the next minute ITV’s
to account.                                             irrepressible business editor Joel Hills or the PA’s
   In addition to liaising with journalists and         legendry Alan Jones.
working up stories, I worked with a close team of          Some of the stories will be ours, such as an
colleagues in coordinating media stunts and             announcement of an industrial action ballot,
creating content for social media around key            strike dates, a legal victory or a pay deal such as

10 | theJournalist
work lives

               Understandably when the initial          The team and myself always try and write a         people’s lives, like with Sports Direct, are
             Sky story broke there was a flurry of   press release that is in essence a self-contained     immeasurable. The overriding factor though, be
             calls from journalists asking “is it    news story, giving Unite’s spin on events along       it a ‘big’ or ‘small’ media day, in what I and the
             true?” “What do you know?” While it     with the facts. Get that right and in the case of     team at Unite do, is articulating Unite members’
             wasn’t my job to confirm the            BAE and other big announcements where the             point of view, their hopes, their fears and
            rumours, Unite members needed to         company actually gives a breakdown of job             importantly what they want to see happen.
          hear that their union was speaking up      losses, you can largely focus on dealing with the        While we beaver away behind the scenes, we
         them and their industry.                    requests for interviews from broadcast media.         will occasionally get a word of thanks from
         After discussions with colleagues and          With BAE as with similar announcements, my         members making the job doubly worthwhile.
    officers responsible for BAE I drafted a press   attention along with the team’s will quickly          This can take many forms. Remember that
release for approval that stated the case for our    turn to juggling interview bids between               couple I mentioned earlier? It turned out they
members’ jobs and pointed the finger at the          regional and national spokespeople. As a rule         were both Unite members, one a steel worker
government for spending increasing amounts           I accompany our key spokespeople while they           and the other a local government worker who
of the defence budget overseas, rather than          are doing a round of interviews so they are           insisted on buying the third class of red. Cheers!
supporting British manufacturing.                    briefed, aware of developments and stay focused
   It was a theme we expanded on the following       on our key messages.
day when the news broke that the job losses             On the day of the BAE announcement Steve

                                                                                                              24-hour news
were actually nearly double the rumoured             Turner was in the hot seat for Unite. A live hit on
amount and encompassed BAE’s marine                  BBC’s news channel followed by a pre-record for
division. We were prepared for went it came. I       BBC Look East, then Channel 5 news outside
issued a press release that had been agreed          parliament was followed by a round of local             Ah the halcyon days of cooking up a
overnight within two minutes of the                  radio for the BBC and Sky News Radio. The day           story over a two hour lunch and
announcement. Our convenors were on standby          was completed with an interview with the BBC’s          faxing out press releases. They were
and the deluge began.                                Business Editor talking about the loss of Britain’s     gentler times. As journalism has
                                                     manufacturing capacity.                                 changed, so has the job of union
                                                        Days like BAE can be breathless at times and         communications officers.
                                                     the feeling of helping make a real difference to          At Unite we have a team of campaign and
                                                                                                             media officers working tightly with
                                                                                                             specialist social media colleagues and
                                                                                                             journalists on our digital publication Unite
                                                                                                             Live. While the press release is still the
                                                                                                             preferred method for getting a message to
                                                                                                             the media the job doesn’t stop there.
                                                                                                               Each press release is proofed and checked
                                                                                                             for house style, before being released to
                                                                                                             relevant media. It’s then uploaded on to
                                                                                                             Unite’s website, shared via social media and
                                                                                                             then refashioned for Unite Live.
                                                                                                               Most days we will have what is effectively
                                                                                                             a news list of press releases, stories and
                                                                                                             announcements that we plan to respond to.
                                                                                                             With breaking stories, speed is of the
                                                                                                              essence in the world of digital media.
                                                                                                                Quite often we’ll tweet and feed an
                                                                                                                 initial line to media, with a fuller
                                                                                                                  response following on. In a typical
                                                                                                                   month we’ll generate around 2,000
                                                                                                                   Unite mentions across all print, online
                                                                                                                   and broadcast media.
                                                                                                                      For campaigns and disputes we’ll
                                                                                                                    cover a demo or stunt with vox pops,
                                                                                                                    video and pictures, which will form
                                                                                                                   content across our digital media and
                                                                                                                   social media.
                                                                                                                     While the basics of a strong message
                                                                                                                  and joined up communications never
                                                                                                                 change, the rapidity of the news cycle
                                                                                                                and immediacy of digital media means
                                                                                                               union communication professionals have
                                                                                                             had to become increasingly need to be fleet
                                                                                                             of foot.

                                                                                                                                              theJournalist | 11
SCOOP
                                                                                                                         dangerous in parts. Part of the reason I was able
                                                                                                                         to pitch and do such ambitious and expensive
                                                                                                                         reporting trips was because I can write, take
                                                                                                                         photos and film for the same story.”
                                                                                                                            If the calamitous Boot were to return to a
                                                                                                                         conflict zone now, would he be expected to post
                                                                                                                         Instagram stories of the quiet revolution? Would
                                                                                                                         he, like some journalists, use dating apps to
                                                                                                                         meet local sources? How would he weather

           Rhiannon J Davies
                                                                  days later the rebels have overthrown him. It          pro-government Twitter trolls’ accusations of
                                                                  didn’t drag on – there was a beginning, middle         “fake news”? Certainly, with so many people with

           compares Evelyn                                        and end – and it was all very colourful and neat.
                                                                  The demands of editors and the peculiar,
                                                                                                                         cameraphones and internet connections, he
                                                                                                                         would surely not score that definitive scoop.
           Waugh’s world                                          nomadic, dysfunctional life that the foreign
                                                                  correspondent lives still have some truth.”
                                                                                                                            The sheer volume of information online is
                                                                                                                         another factor. Foreign correspondents are no
           with international                                        Despite this, foreign reporting has come a long     longer the sole conduit of news between a war

           reporting now
                                                                  way since. For starters, there has been a shift in     zone and the public back home. Citizen
                                                                  gender balance. Bethan McKernan, a Beirut-             journalists and, frankly, anyone with a
                                                                  based reporter who covers the Middle East for          cameraphone and an internet connection can
                                                                  the Independent, notes that while there is still a     now scoop the best. Also, journalists have to be

               E
                             ighty years ago saw the              need for more women editors, there are now             wary of online sources if they do not know their
                             publication of satirical sensation   plenty of great female reporters in the Middle         motives. As Pratt notes: “When properly
                             Scoop – Evelyn Waugh’s “novel        East: “I remember looking around a briefing table      harnessed, social media can be an incredibly
                             about journalists” that sends up     recently and realising all seven journalists – and     useful tool, but it brings a challenge of its own. It
                             the world of the foreign             the person who organised it – were women.”             can be corrosive to the veracity of stories and to
           correspondent in a typically irreverent fashion.          This has influenced the type of stories             getting to beneath the veneer of the stories.”
              A case of mistaken identity sees protagonist        reported. According to Christina Lamb, Sunday             The increased availability of information
           William Boot sent to cover a growing crisis in the     Times chief foreign correspondent, men and             online may also have contributed to the
           fictional African state of Ishmaelia. Laden with       women report things differently: “Women are            reduction in funding for international reporting.
           an abundance of extraneous luggage, the hapless        much better listeners and we talk to women                Another issue is the danger foreign
           countryside columnist finds himself among a            more – often men don’t think of them as being          correspondents now face. At one time, journalists
           cut-throat pack of foreign correspondents, all of      part of the story. And, as a woman, you have           were usually injured only accidentally. Now, in
           whom are content to make up stories when none          access to half the population that a man doesn’t.”     some places, journalists have become targets. The
           present themselves. Boot’s stubborn refusal to            David Pratt agrees: “In many parts of the           flak jacket and helmet have become a standard
           be drawn into a visit to a town that he knows for      world, it’s the female dynamic that is the pivotal     element of a foreign correspondent’s “war bag”.
           a fact does not exist means he is the sole witness     aspect of a story. When covering Israel-Palestine,        Despite these challenges, some argue that
           to the overthrow of the despotic government            I often found that it was the Palestinian women        there has never been a greater need for foreign
           and the subsequent “counter revolution” –              who were much more outspoken, engaging and             correspondents or, indeed, a greater interest in
           unwittingly scoring the scoop of the century.          able to talk about their communities in a way          world affairs. Richard Sambrook, professor of
              Told with scathing wit, the story is based upon     that men couldn’t.”                                    Journalism at Cardiff University, spent 30 years as
           Waugh’s time in Ethiopia covering the anticipated         Some of the most absurd moments in Scoop            a BBC journalist and, in 2010, wrote a report that
           invasion by Mussolini’s Italy for the Daily Mail, a    come from Boot’s failed attempts to comprehend         asked: “Are foreign correspondents redundant?”
           conflict that lasted from October 1935 to May 1936.    the succinct manner required for telegrams.            He says: “We live in an era where there is more
              Although an established novelist, Waugh             Advances in technology have changed this               information available than ever, but where public
           never quite made it as a “newspaper man”, which        aspect of international reporting almost               attention is more fragmented and politicised.
           may be why he poured such scorn upon the               unrecognisably. Lamb recalls: “When I started,         International reporting remains crucially
           profession. However, his experience did enable         90 per cent of the work was logistics – trying to      important. It can differentiate news organisations
           him to take a step back and recognise the              find a way to get the story back when there were       in a hypercompetitive environment; undertaken
           absurdity of the situation, set against the            no telephones. You could have the best story in        in the right way, it can still engage audiences of
           backdrop of a truly abominable war.                    the world but, if you had no way of getting it back,   all ages. But it is harder than ever to make
              But – apart from the racist language that           it was useless. We used to have to take films to the   international issues relevant and engaging
           would no longer be tolerated – how does this           airport to find someone who would take them            against a backdrop of greater media noise.”
           satirical tale hold up today? David Pratt,             back. It was all very time consuming.”                    While Boot – and indeed Waugh – may have
           contributing foreign editor at the Herald,                There is often now an expectation for               never become fully enamoured with life as a
           Sunday Herald and Cable – Scotland’s new               journalists to be multiskilled – publishing words,     foreign correspondent, there are plenty who are.
           international affairs magazine – thinks it is not      photos and video on various platforms. While           For those who risk their lives reporting, there
           far off the mark. “It’s quite a surreal piece of       this is not essential, Bethan McKernan certainly       may be no greater response than Lord Copper’s
           writing but, in some ways, closer to the truth         thinks it helps: “For example, the Raqqa               to the book’s eponymous scoop: “Stop the
           than many people realise. I was in Port-au-Prince      campaign was prohibitively expensive for lots of       machines at Manchester and Glasgow. Clear the
NURPHOTO

           in the 1980s when the president was overthrown         news organisations – fixers [local people who          line to Belfast and Paris. Scrap the whole front
           and I remember thinking it was a bit like Scoop;       help organise interviews and translate] alone          page. Kill the Ex-Beauty Queen’s Pauper Funeral.
           one day I’m interviewing the president and a few       were about $700 a day and it was pretty                Get in a photograph of Boot.”

           12 | theJournalist
international reporting

Dramatis personae                                            The weary foreign editor,
                                                           ever deferential to his
                                                                                         presumed to be based on
                                                                                         Sir Percival Phillips, an
                                                                                                                     correspondent working for
                                                                                                                     the Daily Telegraph who
William Boot                Lord Copper                    overbearing boss. Not         established war             scooped Waugh.
“Feather-footed             “We think it a very            reflective of anyone in
through the plashy          promising little war …         particular as there were                                  Corker
fen passes the              We propose to give it          many like him on Fleet                                    “News is what a chap
questing vole”              fullest publicity”             Street at that time.                                      who doesn’t care
  Said to be based upon       The overbearing press                                                                  much about anything
Bill Deedes, a journalist   baron has recognisable         Sir Jocelyn                                               wants to read. And it’s
who was in Ethiopia         aspects of Lord Beaverbrook,   Hitchcock                                                 only news until he’s
with Waugh, who went        proprietor of the Daily and    “The job of the                                           read it.”
on to become the editor     Sunday Express, as well as     English special is                                          Sent by an agency to
of the Daily Telegraph.     Lord Rothermere and his        to spot the story                                         cooperate with Boot on
  While he has always       brother Lord Northcliffe,      he wants, get in –                                        stories for the Beast.
brushed aside the charge,   who developed the Daily        then clear out and                                          Not based on any one
he has admitted that his    Mail and Daily Mirror.         leave the rest to                                         person, but his thirst
600lb of luggage might                                     the agencies”                                             for news and brash
have provided some          Mr Salter                        A journalist                                            personality were typical
inspiration.                “Up to a point, Lord           working for the rival                                     of some of the reporters
                            Copper”                        Daily Brute,                                              out there.

                                                                                                                                   theJournalist | 13
Ruth Addicott explores why some young people leave journalism early

Are young
dreams being
dashed?
 W
                hen Lucy Pearce was appointed editor of The                                        the proportion of recently qualifieds working in PR and
                Argus in Brighton, aged 28, she was not only                                       communications (18 per cent), compared with one per cent in
                its youngest editor but also the first woman                                       a survey in 2012.
                to edit the paper in its 137-year history. When                                       One reason is pay. A report by the Chartered Institute of
                she resigned within weeks to become                                                Public Relations in 2017 showed the average salary of a PR
communications and engagement manager at Legal & General,                                          professional had risen to £50,447 (£66,102 in London). Nearly
it took many by surprise. Pearce declined to comment on her                                        one in four aged 25-34 earned £40,000-£59,999.
reasons, but she is not alone in making such a move.                                                  With local newspaper staff striking over low pay and a
   In January 2018, Abigail Weaving was awarded the Paul                                           survey last year showing one in three freelancers is in receipt
Durrant Award for her outstanding NCTJ performance. By                                             of state benefits, for many, PR seems a sensible option.
then, she had already left the Saffron Walden Reporter to                                             Jem Collins, editor of Journo Resources, which offers
work at a London press office.                                                                     support to journalists starting out, believes a lot of graduates
   While many graduate trainees on nationals go on to enjoy                                        become demoralised when they cannot get a job.
prestigious careers, there have been recent reports of trainees                                       More than 300 local papers have closed in the past decade.
quitting.                                                                                             “Good jobs are hard to come by and it’s easy to see why
   Why are some young journalists leaving so soon?                                                 you’d move into an industry which is easier to crack.
   An NCTJ report in 2015 which tracked journalists 6-10                                           There’s this bizarre idea you should be grateful for any
months after they’d qualified showed ‘a striking difference’ in                                    journalism job, regardless of the conditions, which I

How to get nearer                                                 joined Inside Housing and
                                                                  broke stories on Grenfell
                                                                                                     together a huge number of
                                                                                                     talented, creative people. It
                                                                                                                                      opportunities. The Celebrity
                                                                                                                                      Interview Club lists celebs

the job you want                                                  Tower. “They carved out an
                                                                  area and were in a great
                                                                                                     was like all the best bits of
                                                                                                     being on a really good
                                                                                                                                      available for interviews.

                                                                  position to track that story.”     publication – exciting, visual   Freelance
 Student journalism             guide and list of graduate                                           and creative, but they were      Freelancing is a good way
 The Student Publication        trainee schemes.                  Consider other roles               getting paid a lot more.”        to build a portfolio,
 Association covers the UK                                    Tim Holmes, senior lecturer                                             combined with shifts,
 and Ireland and provides       Develop a specialism          in the Centre for Journalism           Get support                      copywriting, lecturing or
 support, training and a        Suzanne Franks, head of       at Cardiff University, recalls         Check out Facebook groups        PR for extra income.
 chance to showcase work.       journalism at City University a graduate who worked in               such as The No1 Freelance
 Journo Resources provides      in London, suggests           customer engagement at                 Ladies’ Buddy Agency and         Boost skills
 information on how to          working for business to       online fashion store ASOS,             A Few Good Hacks where           Broaden your skills. The NUJ
 break into journalism,         business magazines. She       to bring people to its                 journalists share advice on      offers courses: see www.
 including a recent fees        recalls one graduate who      website. “ASOS had brought             fees, pitching and               nuj.org.uk/work/training/

14 | theJournalist
careers

                                                                  disservice’, to content and driving reporters too hard.
                                                                     “There are still a lot of local stories that need proper
                                                                  exposure and investigation. That is becoming more difficult
                                                                  for journalists to do and I think that is a real danger. If you’re
                                                                  not getting the interesting work and not getting paid well,
                                                                  why should you stay?”
                                                                     Megan Baynes is on the executive committee of the
                                                                  Student Publication Association (SPA), which supports young
                                                                  journalists. She believes graduates get a rude awakening.
                                                                     “Going into any job is a shock, but journalism demands
                                                                  your entire life,” she says. “I think sometimes graduates aren’t
                                                                  realistic. In my last year, everyone was applying for the BBC
                                                                  and The Times graduate scheme and I was applying for local
                                                                  journalism jobs. When I got my job, everyone was like, ‘why
                                                                  aren’t you aiming higher?’ I said, you’ve got to go in at a local
                                                                  level. It’s great to be ambitious, but don’t turn up your nose at
                                                                  your local paper. Moving across the country to work on a local
                                                                  was the best decision I made.”
                                                                     Baynes didn’t do a journalism degree, but put as much on
                                                                  her CV as possible – running her student paper and doing
                                                                  work experience at the Gloucestershire Echo, the BBC and
                                                                  Channel 4, as well as working for a paper in the US during her
                                                                  year abroad.
think is one of the reasons people leave,” says Collins.             So, when she graduated, she had experience. She is now
   “I think journalism training romanticises the profession       doing an apprenticeship at the Isle of Wight County Press as a
slightly, which makes it more painfully obvious when the          trainee reporter.
conditions are bad. We’re told how to do on the ground               “I prefer it because you get on the ground experience while
reporting, how to get exclusives and allowed to take our time     you’re training,” she says.
on stories and cover things we’re interested in. Sadly, there        Feedback from students at SPA also found that editors don’t
are few jobs in the real world which let you do that – often      always look as favourably on journalism degrees. “If someone
you’re churning out seven or more pieces a day. That’s not to     said, ‘I’m applying for university’, I wouldn’t advise them to
say we shouldn’t do training, but we need to prepare those        do a journalism degree,” says Baynes. “It’s hard because
breaking into the industry for the reality.”                      everyone wants that experience and a lot of the time
   A report in Press Gazette last summer said the ‘ripping        publishers want the NCTJ, but they aren’t willing to pay for it.
culture’ (re-jigging stories from rivals) at one national         So you’ve got to put yourself in a lot of debt, then take a job
newspaper website led to more than half of its graduate           where you may not earn much. I can see why students think,
trainee intake for the past two years leaving to work in PR.      ‘What’s the point when I can take a job in PR?’ ” There are new
   Professor Suzanne Franks, head of journalism at City           opportunities at organisations such as charities and non
University in London, says: “Quite a number of our students       governmental organisations.
end up in that situation and get disillusioned – you can’t do        So are graduates being encouraged to take jobs in PR?
real journalism that way.”                                           “We definitely don’t want students to go into PR because
   So are students leaving university with false expectations?    that’s not journalism and we train them to be journalists,”
   “I don’t think so,” says Franks. “They’ve grown up in a very   says Franks. “We want them to be independent minded and
digitally aware age. Some think they’re going to walk out and     hold power to account. The reason we do this is to produce
read the Ten o’Clock news the next week but, by and large,        good journalists who will go out there, fly the flag and ask
they understand. We have lots of career events with alumni        difficult questions. I feel a bit disappointed when I see people
coming back and talking about their experience.”                  who have those skills and use them in the capacity of PR.”
   Tim Holmes, senior lecturer in the Centre for Journalism at       Holmes believes the industry needs to look at itself, including
Cardiff University, says the acid test is when students do work   at wage structures and career paths. “If they want bright young
experience. While most come back enthused, some go to a           people to come in, there has to be some reward,” he says. “It
big consumer magazine and end up photocopying or clearing         doesn’t necessarily have to be pay – if they’re getting interesting
the fashion cupboard with schoolchildren.                         work, there’s a balance. But if they’re expected to do fairly
   “That happens rarely, but it does happen,” says Holmes.        rubbish jobs and not get paid well, that is a recipe for disaster.”
   He believes the shift to PR happens when journalists want         Franks says: “The bright ones and the determined ones will
to start a family or need more financial security.                make it in the end. Keep your skills, keep learning and find
   Holmes says local newspapers have also done a ‘grave           your niche.”

                                                                                                                     theJournalist | 15
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