It’s a shocker. The PCC has got it wrong. Again. The problem with such failings by the PCC is that it gives ammunition to those who want to introduce statutory controls. The NUJ stands firmly in favour of self-regulation – but in the public interest not in the interest of newspaper proprietors. The PCC needs drastic reform (like with the Labour Party there are those who argue it is no longer capable of reform) and as long as it is incapable of imposing meaningful sanctions it will remain toothless in the face of the commercial interests of media companies.
But the biggest news today is not that but the victory of union members at the Financial Times over the threat to force a group of specialist Chinese journalists to return to China and take a pay cut. The move has been withdrawn after members at the company voted to ballot for industrial action.
Inspiring. The launch of Expose the BNP last night was also inspiring. Journalists, media workers, students came together to hear Peter Hain MP, NUJ Deputy General Secretary Michelle Stanistreet and others set out the need for journalists to be vigilant and forensic in exposing the racist nature of the neo-Nazi BNP in the run up to the election. The meeting welcomed the launch of the NUJ’s new website reportingthebnp.org
I also attended part of the new London Photographers Branch last night to discuss the Digital Economy Bill and its impact on photographers in advance of a meeting at the TUC later today on the passage of the Bill.
Earlier in the day I’d spoken at a rally in support of striking workers at the National Gallery involved in a dispute over pay. I rushed there from the TUC Executive where the economy and the budget submission were the main items on the agenda. I had the chance to raise the disgraceful blackmail of staff at The Independent in advance of its expected sale.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Friday, February 19, 2010
Election threats
A few glimpses of what life might be like under a Tory government - changes to balloting legislation to make it harder for unions to take industrial action and far from stamping out the scourge of the exploitation of young workers through unpaid work experience it appears they are only too happy to auction off work experience placements. Work for free - but pay for the privilege of doing so. It's a pity Jeremy Hunt cancelled his meeting with the NUJ and Bectu this week, I'd have welcomed the chance to challenge him on this.
As the election campaign hots up we've launched a new website, Reporting the BNP, to help journalists with more resources and information about the far-right party's policies, leading lights and much more. Alongside the launch of Expose the BNP, a campaign of journalists, media workers and students, these are important steps in the unions' confronting the threat to freedom of expression posed by the BNP and their fellow travellers.
As the election campaign hots up we've launched a new website, Reporting the BNP, to help journalists with more resources and information about the far-right party's policies, leading lights and much more. Alongside the launch of Expose the BNP, a campaign of journalists, media workers and students, these are important steps in the unions' confronting the threat to freedom of expression posed by the BNP and their fellow travellers.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Could do better...
So far the New Year's resolution to do better at updating the blog has been a miserable failure. If only there were more hours in a day, days in a week and weeks in a month i'd be fine.
So what's been happening? Last week kicked off with a meeting with senior BBC mangers catching up on a number of major issues coming over the horizon - pay, pensions, the strategic review which is likely to throw us in to another battle over jobs.
On Tuesday I then spent 5 hours being grilled by the BBC's lawyers in a tribunal case involving one of our members who I represented in her disciplinary process before rather ironically heading off to Parliament to make the case for the BBC with Secretary of State Ben Bradshaw. Actually the meeting with Ben was more about the Independently Financed News Consortia and the outstanding questions which remain. It was the most constructive meeting we've had - maybe ever! Not an election on the horizon is there or is that just me being a cynical hack?
Wednesday was yet more BBC - this time the M/FoCs meeting to draw up the pay claim followed by a joint meeting with Bectu's and Unite's BBC reps and officials to agree the joint union claim.
Thursday morning I chaired the AGM of Justice for Colombia before dashing back for the union's Finance Committee, heading out for lunch with Rod Alexander, the newly-appointed Senior Campaigns and Communications Officer - and then back to Finance Committee before an early evening meeting at the TUC.
Friday was taken up with an all-day meeting of the Trustees of the NUJ Staff Pension Scheme.
Today we're interviewing all day for the Campaigns and Communications Officer job - we've 10 candidates to see so it's going to be a long, long day...
So what's been happening? Last week kicked off with a meeting with senior BBC mangers catching up on a number of major issues coming over the horizon - pay, pensions, the strategic review which is likely to throw us in to another battle over jobs.
On Tuesday I then spent 5 hours being grilled by the BBC's lawyers in a tribunal case involving one of our members who I represented in her disciplinary process before rather ironically heading off to Parliament to make the case for the BBC with Secretary of State Ben Bradshaw. Actually the meeting with Ben was more about the Independently Financed News Consortia and the outstanding questions which remain. It was the most constructive meeting we've had - maybe ever! Not an election on the horizon is there or is that just me being a cynical hack?
Wednesday was yet more BBC - this time the M/FoCs meeting to draw up the pay claim followed by a joint meeting with Bectu's and Unite's BBC reps and officials to agree the joint union claim.
Thursday morning I chaired the AGM of Justice for Colombia before dashing back for the union's Finance Committee, heading out for lunch with Rod Alexander, the newly-appointed Senior Campaigns and Communications Officer - and then back to Finance Committee before an early evening meeting at the TUC.
Friday was taken up with an all-day meeting of the Trustees of the NUJ Staff Pension Scheme.
Today we're interviewing all day for the Campaigns and Communications Officer job - we've 10 candidates to see so it's going to be a long, long day...
Thursday, February 04, 2010
Making the case for public intervention
Back from annual leave to a whirlwind of meetings, travel and 1004 emails.
Spent all day Monday interviewing candidates for the Senior Campaigns and Communications Officer post - and after all that it was so close we've decided to do 2nd interviews later today. In every spare minute I tried to catch up on emails and correspondence. Sorry if I haven't got round to answering yours yet - I will.
Monday night I headed to Brussels to prepare for a conference at the European Parliament on journalism and democracy early Tuesday morning. Made the case for public intervention in support of public service media which provoked a good debate. Most of the MEPs there were broadly in support - the representative of the Media Task Group for the Commission was dogmatically free market and seemed to believe that the market would eventually solve the crisis. What bollocks.
A summary of the arguments I put is in the article I've done for Red Pepper this month.
Back Tuesday evening to race through another pile of emails (down to 400 by now).
Wednesday it was back on a train - this time to Liverpool - to be the guest speaker at Hope College - speaking to lecturers, journalism students and representatives from civil society about the threat to democracy posed by cuts in media organisations. Went down well - and I'm hopeful the college will organise a Stand Up for Journalism week later this year. Quick catch up with NUJ President Pete Murray who filled in for me at a meeting with the Home Office about the threat to journalists posed by Redwatch yesterday.
Today, it's meeting upon meeting starting with our European Federation of Journalists representative John Barsby, followed by the Training Department staff, Policy Committee, NEC member Pierre Vicary, the Journalists Copyright Fund followed by the 2nd interviews for the Campaigns and Communications role.
Spent all day Monday interviewing candidates for the Senior Campaigns and Communications Officer post - and after all that it was so close we've decided to do 2nd interviews later today. In every spare minute I tried to catch up on emails and correspondence. Sorry if I haven't got round to answering yours yet - I will.
Monday night I headed to Brussels to prepare for a conference at the European Parliament on journalism and democracy early Tuesday morning. Made the case for public intervention in support of public service media which provoked a good debate. Most of the MEPs there were broadly in support - the representative of the Media Task Group for the Commission was dogmatically free market and seemed to believe that the market would eventually solve the crisis. What bollocks.
A summary of the arguments I put is in the article I've done for Red Pepper this month.
Back Tuesday evening to race through another pile of emails (down to 400 by now).
Wednesday it was back on a train - this time to Liverpool - to be the guest speaker at Hope College - speaking to lecturers, journalism students and representatives from civil society about the threat to democracy posed by cuts in media organisations. Went down well - and I'm hopeful the college will organise a Stand Up for Journalism week later this year. Quick catch up with NUJ President Pete Murray who filled in for me at a meeting with the Home Office about the threat to journalists posed by Redwatch yesterday.
Today, it's meeting upon meeting starting with our European Federation of Journalists representative John Barsby, followed by the Training Department staff, Policy Committee, NEC member Pierre Vicary, the Journalists Copyright Fund followed by the 2nd interviews for the Campaigns and Communications role.
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