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London journalists strike to stand up for quality
in brief...
Bells toll for closure in Epworth The local office of the Epworth Bells and Crowle Advertiser, which has covered Epworth and the Isle of Axholme in North Lincolnshire and South Yorkshire for more than 130 years, has been closed by Johnston Press. NUJ northern organiser Chris Morley said: “Anyone searching for a definition of ‘local’ and a tight-knit community could do no better than to look at Epworth and the Isle of Axholme . Sprint from merger to a demerger Reader demand has caused two weekly Newsquest titles that merged only months ago to return to separate titles. The Ilkley Gazette and the Wharfedale & Aireborough Observer merged in February amid falling sales. Both papers were also moved to tabloid from broadsheet. Health service ban on information The NUJ in Ireland is urging the country’s Health Service Executive to lift a blanket ban on the release of patient information to the media. The directive announced by the HSE prohibits the release to the media of all information relating to the patients under its care, including those in hospitals. Sunday service for the News Letter Northern Ireland’s daily paper the News Letter produced a Sunday edition for the first time since the 1990s when it covered the Assembly elections. The paper was forced to produce the special edition because the results of the count were delayed.
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As a relatively young NUJ chapel when we join together we have the power to make ourselves heards
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ournalists in north London staged one of the first strikes to focus on the quality of journalism with a two-week walkout at Sir Ray Tindle’s North London and Herts Newspapers group. The well-supported strike highlighted the fall in quality of local news because of the reduction in jobs with three reporters serving nine publications. Jonathan Lovett, father of the chapel, said that the strike wasn’t about pay or redundancies but about quality. He said: “The quality has slumped dramatically and people have noticed and our readers deserve better.” The strike captured the attention of the community with journalists throwing a street party and staging a mock funeral to mark the slow death of local news. Jonathan said: “Our strike
Anne-Marie Sanderson
Johnston press investors lobbied Shareholders in regional press group Johnston Press were lobbied by the NUJ at the annual general meeting. They were given letters detailing the company’s cutbacks in its editorial teams despite proclaiming in the annual report that local content is important and that ‘content is king’. The union also highlighted chief executive John Fry’s £1.18 million pay package.
has shown that as a relatively young NUJ chapel when we join together we have the power to make ourselves heard. The support we’ve had from other journalists and the community at large has also demonstrated to us that our cause is just and our struggle for quality journalism deserves to succeed.” The Enfield group complains that more than a third of editorial positions have been eroded because
staff have left and have not been replaced. Jonathan has urged local people to write to Sir Ray and press him to boost the journalistic workforce. NUJ head of publishing Barry Fitzpatrick said: “The strike was proof that journalists care. This is the frontline in a battle that is going on throughout the regional press.” Journalists are reballoting to continue the action.
US body funds investigative work
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new website of investigative reporting on Northern Ireland is proof that funding can be found for investigative journalism. The Detail employs six journalists and an editor. It has received funding for two years after Atlantic Philanthropies, controlled
by billionaire Irish-American philanthropist Chuck Feeney, provided £640,000. By receiving this funding The Detail was able to access £150,000 from Film Northern Ireland. Media company Below The Radar owns the website. Its managing director, Trevor Birney, was for five years current affairs
editor at Ulster Television, the ITV franchise covering Northern Ireland. He said that The Detail’s aim was to publish stories other media outlets didn’t have. “There is a mandatory coalition here,” he explained. “That means there is no opposition. The media’s role is very important.”
Charles wins appeal to remain in Britain
C mark thomas
harles Atangana, an economic and current affairs journalist, has won his appeal against Home Office plans to deport him to his native Cameroon, where he had been imprisoned and tortured for his exposés of corruption. The move comes after a lengthy legal fight. Charles’ case has been supported across the NUJ, in
particular by his own union branch in Glasgow, where he had also worked as a community volunteer John Matthews, chair of Glasgow branch, said: “The Glasgow branch was Charles’ first defence against the threat of forced removal and deportation from a city he calls home. I’m delighted that we led the way in fighting against Charles’ removal.”
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