Irish Journalist Winter 2020
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1 THE IRISH JOURNALIST Newsletter of the National Union of Journalists in Ireland Winter 2020 DOWN TO WORK Media commission faces a tough task By Séamus Dooley, Last December, in announcing the appointment of Irish Secretary Prof MacCraith as chair, then-Minister Richard Bruton After a false dawn and a rocky launch, the stated that the commission would report by government’s Commission on the Future of September of this year. No further action was taken Media has finally gotten down to work. on establishing the commission. Meanwhile RTÉ was The belated decision of the cabinet to appoint forced to put on hold cost-saving plans, including the Siobhan Holliman, joint cathaoirleach of the Irish sale of land in Donnybrook. Executive Council and NUJ nominee to the Press The NUJ argued that the terms of reference should Council of Ireland, is a positive development. be broadened to include the future of all media, The announcement follows widespread concern at echoing a call the union made at a Broadcasting the absence of a nominee with relevant print industry Authority of Ireland forum in September 2014. or trade union expertise when An Taoiseach named The decision of the new government to take on the commission on September 29th. board the NUJ call, combined with removing That reaction is reflected in the contributions from responsibility for media policy from the sprawling Oireachtas members featured in this edition. Department for Communications, Climate Action and While Siobhan has been appointed in her own right, Environment, seemed to represent a more strategic her contribution will reflect her experience as a approach to media policy. While designating all media newspaper journalist and trade unionist with a as a specific ministerial area seemed a good idea, we particular knowledge of the regional media, print and voiced concerns at the impossible workload involved broadcasting. in a Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, The commission has a skilled chairperson in Sport and Media. Professor Brian MacCraith and includes talented Continued on page 7 members. From an NUJ perspective the terms of reference are extremely narrow. It is disappointing to note that issues such as Support for journalist in the concentration of ownership, access to the profession, wake of threats to her son the need for diversity within the media and the glass ceiling which still exists for women do not feature in the terms. The commission faces an urgent task, confronted with an industry in crisis and an ambitious timetable – it is due to report in September 2021. It began life as the Commission on the Future of Public Service Broadcasting. Big win at RTÉ, p3; Northern Ireland news recovery plan, p9. SEE STORY ON PAGE 5 2 EDITOR’S NOTE BLM is a movement, not a moment The Black Lives Matter protests that began in the These discussions raise important questions: How United States in May have grown into an overdue do we bring more voices of people of colour and reckoning around the world. people from ethnic minorities into our pages and What began as an outpouring of anger and broadcasts? How do NUJ members of colour emotion in response to the police killing of George experience race on the job and how can white Floyd has evolved into a larger discussion of our members be active allies? How do we frame stories responsibility to identify and address racism and about race and ethnic minorities? How can we unconscious bias and their impact. ensure best practice means not simply being non- These discussions are taking place in workplaces racist but actively anti-racist? around the world, including newsrooms. In June, The This is not a moment; it’s a movement. How will we Washington Post reported: “Like the nation itself, turn these discussions into action? news organisations across the country are facing a * * * racial reckoning, spurred by protests from their own As The Irish Journalist was going to press, news journalists over portrayals of minority communities broke of the appointment of Siobhan Holliman, and the historically unequal treatment of nonwhite deputy editor of The Tuam Herald and joint IEC colleagues.” cathaoirleach, to the Future of Media Commission. Also in June, 50 Black, Asian and minority ethnic Siobhan brings a wealth of journalism and trade journalists in the UK wrote in an open letter to the union experience to the role and we welcome her Society of Editors: “There is more to our communities appointment. than just ‘race matters’ and we believe that by having * * * a greater cross section of journalists from across the Contact us with stories around your branch, chapel or UK’s diverse communities will only help to enrich workplace at [email protected]. coverage, provide more eclectic views and deliver Carolyn Farrar more insight into those that make up the Britain of Editor, The Irish Journalist today.” P&PR offers tips to members starting media businesses The Dublin P&PR branch held an online Zoom seminar information. this summer to introduce journalists to potential “There’s something of a need for an agency, which supports for setting up their own media business. hopefully someone might pick up on,” George said. He Hosted by Gerry Curran, branch membership said there is also a great appetite for news in rural secretary and IEC and NEC member, and chaired by areas. part-time NUJ official George Kiely, the June 29th He warned would-be start-ups that most supports seminar presented options for journalists looking to require new businesses to take proactive measures to go into business for themselves, or with others. avail of them. “If you want to get to them you have to “At the very least a journalist should know about proactively do your research and present your case,” these and know if they do step outside there’s help George said. “But naturally, journalists are very able to and there’s financial help and there’s a lot of it,” present a case.” George said. There are 31 Local Enterprise Offices Oisín Geoghegan, chair of Network of Local across Ireland, working with micro- and small Enterprise Offices (LEOs) and head of enterprise at businesses that employ up to 10 people. Enterprise Fingal LEO, told the seminar of the supports LEOs Ireland works with larger companies. provide, including financial supports for feasibility “They’re useful organisations and a potential benefit studies, business priming grants and business to journalists who might be starting their own expansion. There are courses in starting your own business within journalism,” said George, who worked business, as well as management development for many years with Enterprise Ireland. training, business advice clinics and one-on-one The seminar focused on three scenarios: a mentoring, now online. journalist who has been made redundant and is The seminar also heard about Microfinance Ireland, starting a business; a small number of individuals which works very closely with LEOs. MFI is a not-for- starting up a local news outlet; and a number of profit lender that delivers the government’s individuals starting up a nationwide news service with Microenterprise Loan Fund, providing unsecured potential overseas markets. business loans for commercially viable business George acknowledged that there are not as many proposals. They consider applications from any small journalism start-ups as there are in other fields. But businesses that may have difficulties in getting he said the branch began talking about these broader access to finance from other commercial providers. possibilities when the Daniel Kinahan story broke earlier this year and reporters here were flooded with For more information, visit LocalEnterprise.ie, requests from UK media outlets looking for microfinanceireland.ie, and enterprise-ireland.com. 3 RTÉ forced to end pay freeze RTÉ has been forced to end the unilateral freeze on increments due this year to 490 staff. The RTÉ Trade Union Group last month secured a significant victory at the Industrial Relations Tribunal (IRT), when unions successfully argued that management’s actions were in breach of collective agreements. Management has agreed to pay increments with immediate effect, meaning that staff wrongly denied an incremental increase will receive retrospective payments. RTÉ had relied on a clause inserted into contracts without trade union consultation to justify their action. The Tribunal found that the so-called “inability to pay clause” was wrongly imposed and emphasised the need for adherence to industrial relations agreements by the company. RTÉ and the Trade Union Group have agreed to resume negotiations on cost reduction proposals at the company under an independent chair, as recommended by the IRT. RTÉ suspended the payment of increments in January with the objective of saving €1.1m by denying the lowest paid staff within the organisation their entitlements. Irish Secretary Séamus Dooley welcomed the decision of the IRT, hailing it as “a significant achievement for union members and a clear signal that RTÉ cannot unilaterally walk away from agreements”. IEC Treasurer, Cearbhaill Ó Síocháin, presented the He added: “There is no doubt that RTÉ faces submission to the Industrial Relations Tribunal. financial challenges and the TUG has been available The IRT, chaired by former Labour Court member for the resumption of talks throughout the summer. John Doherty, described the case as the most difficult RTÉ wrongly suspended the payment of increments to come before the tribunal in recent years. and sought to rely on a clause sneaked into contracts On the issue