MAGAZINE OF THE NATIONAL UNION OF JOURNALISTS WWW.NUJ.ORG.UK | DECEMBER-JANUARY 2018 Contents Main feature 16 Taking the long view Demand for in-depth blogs News t’s that time of the year again to look back, 03 Fight for equality at the BBC take stock and look forward. 2017 has been a challenging time for our Eight out of ten women paid less industry on many levels. The difficulties 04 Diversity, more action needed of job cuts, closures and much less time People at the top are white says Abbott Ifor journalists to leave their desks and meet the people they write about have continued 05 Oldham daily resurrected unabated. Then there is the damaging spread of fake news and But Doncaster jobs move out of town the pall it casts over all news reporting. 06 NUJ backs ethical PR Accusations of biased journalism have also gained traction 10 principles for practitioners especially in the case of Jeremy Corbyn, who was largely and persistently written off by many in the media despite him “attracting massive crowds to his public appearances. Features But in the face of these problems there have been successes 10 Tough times for college papers too. Community-based journalism has led to the creation of Pressure mounts over cash and content new titles that are embraced by their readers. And at its best, journalism remains one of the most varied, 12 A day in the life of... stimulating and satisfying ways to make a living. In this edition an agricultural correspondent we see enthusiasm for the profession from Rachel Martin, an 14 See you in court agricultural journalist and farmer who writes A Day in the Life Do freelances need libel insurance? of, and from freelance Delhi journalist Will Brown, the author of the Starting Out column. Wishing you a prosperous and successful 2018. Regulars 09 Viewpoint 18 Starting out 19 NUJ & Me 26 And finally Christine Buckley Editor @mschrisbuckley Arts with Attitude Pages 20-21 Editor NUJ [email protected] 72 Acton Street Design London WC1X 9NB Surgerycreations.com [email protected] [email protected] www.nuj.org.uk Advertising Tel: 020 7843 3700 Steve Bell Melanie Richards Manchester office Raymond Page 22 Tel: 07494975239 [email protected] Snoddy [email protected] Glasgow office Print [email protected] Page 25 Warners Cover picture www.warners.co.uk Dublin office [email protected] Steve Bell Distribution ” GB Mail www.gb-mail.co.uk 02 | theJournalist news Equal pay fight begins in brief... HOPKINS LEAVES THE MAILONLINE for 100 BBC women Katie Hopkins, the controversial columnist, has left MailOnline after he NUJ is taking action show that the gender pay two years writing for the website. to secure equal pay on gap for women in their 20s is The Mail said that her departure Tbehalf of more than 100 now five times greater than it was by mutual consent and that her women at the BBC. was six years ago – rising contract was not renewed. The The move comes following from 1.1 per cent to 5.5 per move comes several months after a survey by the union that cent. They also demonstrate her radio show was axed by LBC. found nearly eight out of 10 that older women still face women at the corporation greater pay discrimination Nearly eight SUPPORT FOR BBC believe they are paid less than workers at the start of PERSIAN CAMPAIGN than male counterparts their career, with women in “out of 10 The International Federation of Over 78 per cent of their 50s paid on average Journalists executive committee respondents to an NUJ survey minority ethnic backgrounds. 18.6 per cent less than their women at the unanimously backed the BBC said they knew or believed The pay disparity came as a male colleagues. Persian journalists campaign to stop that men doing the same or great shock to many women The BBC’s own report of its corporation the targeting, harassment and comparative roles got better journalists who suddenly graded staff, overseen by Sir believe they persecution of journalists and their pay than their female discovered their male Patrick Elias, the former families by the Iranian authorities. counterparts. counterpart next to them on Appeal Court judge, are paid less The findings followed the the sofa, in the studio or concluded that there was “no NEWSQUEST SEEKS publication by the BBC of the newsroom were earning systemic discrimination than male ISLE OF WIGHT CUTS on-air “talent” who earned much more than them, in against women in the BBC’s Newsquest has called for voluntary more than £150,000. The list some cases with less pay arrangements”. The counterparts redundancies at the Isle of Wight showed that only a third were experience. report did not include on-air County Press four months after it women and of the 96 named Recent figures from the staff, which is subject to a bought the title. The publisher only 10 were from black or Office for National Statistics separate review. described the move as regrettable but part of its plan to ensure that the paper has a sustainable future. The NUJ has urged Newsquest to ” share its plan with its staff ahead of UNION LOSES PENSIONS LEGAL BATTLE their decisions on whether to seek he union has lost a legal case to opt out of a final salary pension and The NUJ went on to back John redundancy. over pensions against the BBC cap how much of pay rises could be Bradbury, a BBC symphony clarinet Tand is likely to face a bill of pensionable. Both the NUJ and Bectu player, in a legal challenge to the BBC BILL TACKLES BOGUS about £200,000 for the corporation’s took strike action. Acas, the over pensions. The case went to the SELF EMPLOYMENT legal costs. conciliation service, suggested a High Court, the pensions ombudsman, The NUJ has welcomed publication The case follows a long-running fight compromise on the pensions changes, back to the High Court and then to the of a Labour Party bill in Ireland to with the BBC over pensions after the which was accepted by Bectu but Court of Appeal at which Lady Gloster tackle bogus self-employment organisation tried to encourage staff rejected by the NUJ. ruled in the BBC’s favour. contracts. The Protection of Employment (Measures to Counter False Self Employment) Bill 2017 would put all workers on an equal footing where they carry out the Mirror NUJ members asked for proof same duties, but are not legally designated as ‘employees’. Mirror executives including managing editor Irish delegate conference, Page 7 Aidan McGurran faced questions over why NUJ members were still being denied a voice at the ARTS COUNCIL FUNDS titles during a recent Q&A meeting with staff. FOR NUJ MEMBERS One member wanted to know whether it was Northern Ireland’s Arts Council has time for the Mirror, as a Labour-supporting given awards to two NUJ members. paper, to allow Jeremy Corbyn’s own union – Former Cathaoirleach (Chair) of the VEEKAY / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO STOCK / ALAMY VEEKAY the NUJ – back inside the building. Irish Executive, Felicity McCall, Mr McGurran, a Labour councillor in received funding for an imaginary Basildon, Essex, insisted that the NUJ had memoir based on single motherhood UJ journalists trying to re-establish the “never left the building”, despite a long in her family. Former MoC in BBC union at the Daily and Sunday Mirror campaign by journalists for union recognition. Radio Foyle Freya McClements won Nand Sunday People have been told to He said that it was up to the NUJ to “prove” it funding for a collection of short “prove” they have a better case for recognition had more members than the British stories, provisionally entitled ‘On than the rival British Association of Journalists. Association of Journalists. The Threshold’. theJournalist | 03 news in brief... Abbott makes diversity demands BUZZFEED UK LOST £3 MILLION IN 2016 iane Abbott, the shadow officer. She became white journalists from colleges with a diverse range Buzzfeed is cutting 20 jobs in the UK home secretary, said parliament’s first black privileged backgrounds.” of journalism students. as part of cuts across its operations. Dmuch more work female MP in 1987. She said the wide use of • Journalists needed to It is expected that up to 100 staff needed to be done to ensure Claudia Jones was a unpaid internships made it organise in unions to fight for will be affected in the US. Buzzfeed diversity in the media and journalist, activist and almost impossible for fair employment and use has about 1,700 employees that black and Asian people campaigner and a founder of working-class young people their networks and collective worldwide. were often misrepresented in the Notting Hill Carnival. to break into the media. action to effect change. media coverage. Abbott said: “There may be She made several • People of colour should NEW FOOD MAGAZINE She was giving the NUJ’s more black and brown faces recommendations to make complain to media GOES ON THE MENU Claudia Jones lecture in on the screen these days, but the media fairer and more organisations if unhappy National Geographic has launched a Westminster as part of Black those with power, the people representative. about their portrayal. monthly food magazine. Food, History Month in October. who make all the decisions on • Companies should recruit • People should use social which has 164 pages, had an initial Abbott is a former which stories are chosen and not only from Oxbridge but media to put forward views print run of 50,000.