MAGAZINE OF THE NATIONAL UNION OF JOURNALISTS WWW.NUJ.ORG.UK | AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2021 No place like home... Remote working, love it or loathe it Contents Main feature 12 All well on the home front? Pros and cons of remote working News o, after a very long time, life is 3 Plan for gag on journalists beginning to feel like it is returning to a semblance of normality. Reporters treated like spies Social restrictions imposed in the face 4 BBC staff ‘pushed to the limit’ of the pandemic are lifting and people NUJ warns over staff morale Sare venturing out more. Some are going back into offices that have been deserted for nearly 18 5 Journalists as spyware target months. But the probability is that not all of us will go back to Governments’ plans revealed working in exactly the same way as we did before the pandemic. 6 ‘Mean-spirited’ Newsquest Enforced homeworking has changed the shape of work for good Anger over ‘fire and rehire’ in the industries where it can operate effectively. Our cover feature looks at the pros and cons of homeworking, 7 Channel 4 up for sale? “drawing on an extensive survey of the book industry carried Consultation on privatisation out by the union’s Oxford branch. Working from home is not ideal for everyone. While it offers some people much-needed Features flexibility and a release from time-consuming commuting, it can also impose isolation on others, and it can be tricky if your 10 Spotlight on Exeter home isn’t suited to converting to a work space. In our ‘And The media-friendly city Finally’ column Chris Proctor also looks at the ergonomics of 14 Remembering lives working at home. Pandemic highlights obituaries Another flicker of good news is that recruitment seems on the rise in parts of our industry, particularly at Reach as the biggest 16 Inside Out publisher starts hiring again. Looking back to outside broadcasts Here’s hoping that the feel better factor lasts beyond the summer. Regulars 21 Technology 22 Obituaries 25 And finally... Christine Buckley Editor @mschrisbuckley Editor NUJ Arts [email protected] 72 Acton Street Page Design London WC1X 9NB Surgerycreations.com [email protected] 20 [email protected] www.nuj.org.uk Advertising Tel: 020 7843 3700 Ray Melanie Richards Manchester office Tel: 07494975239 [email protected] Snoddy [email protected] Glasgow office Page 19 Print [email protected] Warners Cover picture www.warners.co.uk Dublin office [email protected] Stephen Collins Distribution GB Mail ” ISSN: 0022-5541 www.gb-mail.co.uk 02 | theJournalist news Courts could treat journalists inbrief... RUSBRIDGER TO EDIT PROSPECT MAGAZINE as spies under planned laws Alan Rusbridger, the former editor-in-chief of the Guardian, has The union’s submission to the Home Office been appointed the next editor of states: Prospect, the monthly current • The threat of prosecution has been used affairs magazine. He succeeds Tom against NUJ members in an attempt to silence Clark, who has been editor since public interest journalism. ‘The union has 2016. Rusbridger was editor-in- • There should be explicit limits within any chief of the Guardian from 1995 to new legislation to restrict extra-territorial pressed the 2015, taking it from being a printed offences in regard to journalists and media Government to paper only to one of the most used organisations abroad. and recognised news websites. • New legislation should not remove the introduce a public requirement for prosecutors to prove that an “ JOURNALISTS could be treated like spies and unauthorised disclosure was damaging. interest defence SALES FALL AT the Government would be able to block more • Whistleblowers and journalists acting in in law REGIONAL PUBLISHER information under plans being considered to the public interest should not be subjected to Sales at regional publisher Midland overhaul official secrets laws. increased prison sentences. News Association fell by almost a NUJ analysis of the Government’s proposed • Journalism should not be equated with third last year because of the legislation finds that they conflate journalism, espionage and media employees should not impact of the pandemic. Its biggest espionage and ‘hostile activity’. There also be criminalised under any future espionage paper the Express and Star also lost appears to be the intention to increase the laws. its position as England’s largest risks and penalties for journalists and media News organisations have also warned that paid-for regional daily last year. It organisations acting in the public interest. the media’s work is under threat. The Sun has reported sales of £17.8 million, The union has pressed the Government to said that its exclusive on the former health down 31 per cent from £26 million introduce a public interest defence in law for secretary Matt Hancock’s relationship with an in the previous year. journalists investigating and reporting on state aide would not have been possible under the wrongdoing. intended legislation. KEATING ACCEPTS HACKING DAMAGES Fears for parliamentary coverage Ronan Keating, the former Boyzone singer, has accepted substantial CROSS-PARTY concern has been that a 40 per cent reduction in the staff work in parliament. It could also phone-hacking damages from News expressed about cuts to the unit which in the BBC Regional Political Unit will mean no specialist political reporter Group Newspapers, publisher of the supplies local BBC TV and radio stations mean contributions to debates from will be available to explain the key now-defunct News of the World with news and clips of their MP local backbench MPs will no longer be political events to a local radio and The Sun. Mr Keating had said speaking about local issues. covered to the same extent. The cuts audience for breakfast programmes, that he was suspicious about the MPs who have signed an early day could lead tofewer stories being the most listened to broadcasts of origins of stories about him that motion about the intended cuts fear spotted and less scrutiny of the routine the day. appeared between 1996 and 2011.. Rolling Stone British style Irish code of practice rejected Rolling Stone is soon to have a dedicated British edition more than 50 THE UNION’S Irish executive workers”. He added: “The years after Mick Jagger first tried to start council has dismissed the NUJ is currently seeking to proposed new code of vindicate the rights of workers a UK version of the iconic US magazine. practice on employment in RTÉ, where a review of Stream Publishing, which publishes LGBTQ status as “a tired old solution bogus, self-employed magazine Attitude, has signed an exclusive which will not solve the contracts has not resolved the licensing deal with Rolling Stone owner problem of bogus issue of retrospective rights of Penske Media Corporation to launch the employment contracts.” workers wrongly misclassified brand in print and online in the UK. The It has urged robust as self-employed workers over launches are planned for the autumn and legislation rather than what many years. Against this seven jobs will be created. Rolling Stone is a Irish secretary Séamus Dooley backdrop it is shocking to monthly publication in the US, but the described as “a feeble and read a code which fails to frequency of the UK title hasn’t inadequate response dressed recognise the genuine losses been confirmed. up in fancy words and breezy suffered by misclassified photographs of happy workers.” theJournalist | 03 news Longer hours and job cuts at BBC leave staff ‘pushed to the limit’ THE NUJ has warned about staff morale at the BBC following “Staff, many of whom worked flat out during the pandemic the publication of the corporation’s annual report. and were rewarded with a pay freeze over the past 12 months, The report for 2020-21 shows that the BBC has reduced its are rightly aggrieved.” workforce by more than 1,200, equivalent to six per cent. The report said: “Time spent with the BBC went up to Senior manager numbers were also down by more than five 18 hours two minutes, from 17 hours 45 minutes, on average, Staff, many of whom per cent, and spending on top stars reduced by 10 per cent. per week. Over 28 million people came to the BBC for evening The BBC said it had made £272 million in annual savings (up entertainment on an average day... In a year of complex news, worked flat out during from £199 million in the previous year), bringing its cumulative as the UK battled the global coronavirus pandemic, audiences the pandemic and savings since 2017/18 to £890 million this financial for the BBC News at Six were the year. In 2021/22, it plans to largest in almost two decades. were rewarded with raise that total to more than BBC One’s 6.30pm bulletin in “ £950 million. Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland a pay freeze over the Paul Siegert, NUJ national and the English regions is the past 12 months, are broadcasting organiser, said: UK’s most watched “The BBC is clearly doing many news programme.” rightly aggrieved things right – and it’s good to Research from accountancy hear that the gender pay gap is firm KPMG showed the corporation delivered £2.63 of narrowing and that the salaries for some of the top stars have direct economic impact for every £1 spent with 50 per cent of Paul Siegert reduced. that occurring outside London, compared to a sector average of NUJ national “But the recent staff survey shows the BBC is far from a 20 per cent. broadcasting organiser happy place to work. Staff say they don’t believe recruitment is It won more than 130 awards since last April, including: fair and transparent or that their careers are likely to progress.