MAGAZINE OF THE NATIONAL UNION OF JOURNALISTS WWW.NUJ.ORG.UK | AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2018 Do you measure up? The growing pressures of analytics Contents Main feature 14 Precision tools or click crazy? The challenges of using metrics News hat makes a good story in 03 Northern journalists face job cuts these digital times? It used to be straightforward – a proper Wide range of titles affected old-fashioned scoop that other 04 Cuts at BBC politics programmes newspapers or broadcasters were Union raises concern over quality Wforced to follow. Now it’s not so easy, the scoops aren’t kept secret til the last minute, they’re 05 Deficit looms for union shared online as soon as possible. So we have to look at other NUJ under budget pressure metrics to gauge the impact of a story. In our cover feature, Neil 06 Concern over RTE contracts Merrick guides us through ways that might make us digitally Workers trapped with fewer rights savvy or click crazy. Family and social affairs reporting can be difficulty, requiring “writers to get close to their subjects but not to cross a fine and Features often unclear line where they might become too close. Louise 10 Looking back to: Tickle, an experienced family affairs correspondent, looks at 1621 in the media how to try to tread a very difficult path. We also have a new series with Jonathan Sale reporting on 13 A ghost in the machine famous media anniversaries, starting with how producing the The problem of suddenly being ignored first newspaper got an early pioneer arrested. 16 A life, not just a story On top of this we have our media expert Raymond Snoddy Difficulties of reporting family issues commenting on the implications for press freedom of the Sir Cliff Richard privacy victory. And there’s news, views, arts, letters and to end everything on Regulars a humorous note our columnist Chris Proctor. 09 Viewpoint I hope you can find some time in the summer holidays to enjoy the magazine. 18 Starting Out 25 Story behind the picture 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 Melanie Richards Manchester office Raymond Tel: 07494975239 [email protected] Snoddy [email protected] Glasgow office Print [email protected] Page 19 Warners Cover picture www.warners.co.uk Dublin office Letters [email protected] Stuart Kinlough Distribution Page 23 GB Mail www.gb-mail.co.uk ” 02 | theJournalist news Northern journalists inbrief... GUARDIAN DIGITAL OVERTAKES PRINT face swath of job cuts Digital revenues have overtaken print for the first time at the Journalists in the north of England The letter, sent on 12 July from the NUJ Guardian Media Group. In the year have been hit with a series of job cuts with chapel, said: “We are currently seeking advice to April, the publisher reported some concerned that health and safety at as to whether there has been any breach by digital revenues up by 15 per cent work is being jeopardised. the company of the working time regulations to £108.6 million. Print revenue The cuts have hit: Newsquest’s Northern or on health and safety grounds.” We are seeking advice was £107.5 million, down from Echo and the sister titles of The letter was triggered by £119.6 million in the year before. the Darlington & Stockton the management’s decision to as to whether there Times, Durham Times and stop freelance cover. has been any breach Advertiser series; Reach titles Individuals have been known of the working time NEW EUROPEAN SETS the Manchester Evening to start the 9am shift at “ UP PART PAYWALL News (MEN) and the 5.20am to get all the necessary regulations or on The New European has put up a Huddersfield Daily Examiner; tasks done to deadline. partial micro-paywall on its and Cumbrian Newspapers, The union is fighting 15 health and safety website, charging 10p for premium which was bought by compulsory redundancies grounds articles but allowing free access to Newsquest a few months following a merger of journalist other content. Readers not yet ago. There is also uncertainty roles at the MEN and subscribed to the newspaper must over where reporters at the Huddersfield Daily Examiner, as NUJ Chapel, pay £3 into a digital wallet to read Barrow-in-Furness Mail will part of Reach’s strategy of Northern Echo content behind the paywall. be working. separating its print and digital Management at operations. The management Newsquest’s Northern Echo, which faces the said that posts would be created, including for BBC’S FIRST GENDER loss of eight posts, had already been warned video and football writers at the MEN, which AND IDENTITY CORR by staff that the situation in editorial was at would result in a ‘marginal increase’, but the The BBC has appointed its first crisis point. chapel said this included vacant posts. gender and identity reporter as The latest cuts, plus a failure to fill a The NUJ is calling on Newsquest part of its recent expansion of the vacancy, represent one fifth of the staff who management to make clear their intentions World Service. Megha Mohan, a produce the flagship Northern Echo and for The Mail at Barrow-in-Furness after the senior journalist with BBC Stories, Darlington & Stockton Times, and the Durham company told staff it wanted to shift its will join a division within the World Times and Advertiser Series. reporters more than 30 miles away to Kendal. Service in September covering issues such as LGBT+ experiences, faith and ethnicity. Social media displaces real news, say MPs JOHN NEAL IS NEW The amount of online network regulation. identify clearly who had data analytics firm and MARR SHOW EDITOR disinformation is so big The government said it published them. Facebook were at the centre John Neal has been made editor of that it is beginning to crowd planned to introduce a Labour said the government of a dispute over the The Andrew Marr Show. He had out real news, the Commons requirement for electoral “needs to wake up to the new collection and use of been acting editor for several Digital, Culture, Media & adverts to have a ‘digital challenges we face and finally personal data – and whether months after the previous editor, Sport Committee has said. imprint’. update electoral laws”. it was used to influence the Rob Burley, became editor of live The MPs warned that this This would mean that all The report follows the outcomes of the US 2016 political programmes. Neal also threatened democracy and political communications Cambridge Analytica data presidential election or the becomes editor of BBC Newswatch, called for tougher social carried online would need to scandal earlier this year. The UK Brexit referendum. which deals with viewers’ opinions on news coverage. Haggerty quits Sunday Herald SOAPLIFE CLOSES AFTER WEEKLY MOVE Angela Haggerty, the Sunday Herald columns for the Sunday Herald and Herald Soaplife magazine, which started in news editor, who was previously sacked by newspapers despite quitting the newsroom. 1999, has closed less than six the paper in a row over Rangers Football Club, Haggerty, who joined the Sunday Herald in months after becoming a weekly has resigned because of online ‘threats and 2013, said she had been the subject of abuse title. Owners TI Media said that abuse’. and online trolling since editing Phil Mac sales were not sufficient to ensure She said she had dealt with online abuse over Giolla Bhain’s book Downfall: How Rangers FC viability. Soaplife, which published six years, but added: “It really took a toll on Self-destructed, published in 2012. its last edition in August, went my health last year. I need to take a step back from a monthly to a fortnightly from the intensity of that, at least for a while.” magazine in 2004 before going Haggerty is to continue writing her weekly weekly in February. theJournalist | 03 news inbrief... BBC politics programmes CLEESE QUITS UK AND BLAMES THE PRESS John Cleese is going to move to the and commentary to be cut Caribbean because of the ‘lying and the triviality’ of UK newspapers. The NUJ has raised concerns over BBC PHOTO STOCK / ALAMY WENN LTD The Monty Python star, who is a plans to cuts its political coverage, with the supporter of Hacked Off, told loss of journalists’ jobs. Newsnight: “I’m so disappointed The Sunday Politics programme is to be with so much about this country at axed and Daily Politics replaced by a shorter the moment … my particular beef is programme. This represents around two hours with the newspapers.” of network politics coverage being lost on BBC1 and BBC2 every week, as well as the loss of eight journalists’ jobs. BORIS RACES BACK BBC Parliament is to lose all original TO THE TELEGRAPH programme making and a third of its small • Conversations – long-form interviews with Boris Johnson resumed his Daily editorial team. The channel will concentrate senior political figures about their lives and Telegraph column just days solely on live and recorded broadcasts of the careers, also shown on BBC2 and BBC4 after resigning as foreign secretary, House of Commons and the House of Lords, • BOOKtalk – a book review programme in breach of the ministerial code. some select committees and proceedings in • Speaker’s Lectures – historical lectures by We need to be able Former cabinet ministers are the UK’s devolved parliaments and assemblies.