inbrief... news


JON SNOW TAKES GENDER PAY CUT Channel 4 News presenter Jon Snow has taken a voluntary pay cut of 25 per cent to help close the gender pay gap at the news service. When pay differences were reported earlier this year, Channel 4 revealed it had a mean income gap of 28.6 per cent and a mean bonus gap of 47.6 per cent, both in favour of men.


FROM NEW EUROPEAN TO NEW FEMINIST Caroline Criado-Perez, feminist campaigner and journalist, guest edited The New European as it became The New Feminist for one edition in order to showcase women’s voices and stories. The takeover edition replaced a May issue and featured female journalists, authors and thinkers. Feature, page 8.


REID BECOMES DNG’S FIRST FEMALE EDITOR Fiona Reid has become the first female editor at the Scottish publisher DNG Media. She has been with the company for 18 years and has been news editor for the past nine years. She oversees weekly newspapers the Dumfries Courier, the Annandale Observer, the Annandale Herald and Moffat News.


AWARDS FOR PAPER’S BOMB COVERAGE The Manchester Evening News was named Daily/Sunday Newspaper of the Year at the Regional Press Awards for its work last year when 22 people were killed in the terror attack in the city. Its splash, printed hours after the suicide bomb and headlined ‘Massacre’ won Front Page of the Year.


MCNAB REPLACES DALE AT BITEBACK Biteback Publishing managing director Iain Dale has stepped down to concentrate on his broadcasting career. Bestselling author and former SAS soldier Andy McNab has taken over from Dale.


06 | theJournalist


Welsh Government pressed to fund public interest media


A Welsh Assembly committee has urged the country’s government to fund public interest journalism because the commercial model is failing. Bethan Sayed AM, chair of the National


Assembly for Wales’ Culture, Welsh Language and Communications Committee, in a foreword to the report Read All About It – Inquiry into News Journalism, said Wales had been disproportionately affected by falls in circulations, job losses and newspaper mergers and closures. She said: “We have considered whether


some model of direct support from the government for the provision of commercial journalism should be developed. There are clear difficulties with this, not least to ensure independence and editorial freedom. “Despite this, the precarious state of news journalism in Wales is such that serious consideration should now be given to some way of supporting public interest journalism.” The NUJ welcomed the call. Pamela Morton,


NUJ organiser Wales, said the report was ‘timely’. She added: “Welsh press is in crisis from a lack of proper funding in quality journalism and a lack of media plurality. The NUJ welcomes many of the committee’s


recommendations, many of which reflect the union’s submission to the inquiry. Too often, too many communities are not having their voice represented.” The report’s recommendations to the Welsh


Government include that it should: • Formally support public interest journalism • Consider establishing publicly funded


arm’s-length news hubs • Nurture and encourage hyperlocals • Audit national and local government spending on advertising statutory notices • Reconsider its decision not to establish an independent media forum to investigate business models for news journalism •Commit to investment in Welsh language journalism at the current level at least.


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Warm tributes have been paid to Ken Smith, who has stepped down after 10 years as chair of the Welsh Executive Council. At his final meeting, Ken was presented with a miner’s lamp by WEC vice chair Martin Shipton. Once media adviser to former Liverpool City Council deputy leader Derek


Hatton, Smith returned to his native Wales as a sub-editor at the South Wales Evening Post. As Father of the Chapel he led the successful campaign for recognition by the


notoriously anti-union Northcliffe management. Shortly afterwards he was made redundant. He is now head of communications for the National Trust in Wales. Martin said: “Under Ken’s outstanding leadership, the WEC has progressed


from being something of a talking shop into a highly respected member of Welsh civil society. “


Cardiff branch holds Saturday salons The branch has organised


The Cardiff and South East Wales branch has been encouraging more freelance members to get involved in the union by holding events over the past year.


Saturday morning salons with invited speakers talking about how they have made a success of becoming sole traders. The salons offer freelance


members the chance to network and gain support. The branch also awarded


honorary life membership to acclaimed US photojournalist Chuck Rapoport. This was for his


The precarious state of news journalism in Wales is such that serious consideration should be given to supporting public interest journalism


Bethan Sayed AM National Assembly for Wales


Council chair Ken Smith steps down


work documenting community life in the aftermath of the Aberfan mining disaster. The membership events


continue with a summer evening in Cardiff Bay.


MICHAEL HOWELL / ALAMY


MARK DIMMOCK


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