news
Big gathering for Local News Matters campaign
across Britain and Ireland. At a meeting in Birmingham, they heard
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from officials, chapel and group chapel reps and members of the union’s ruling national executive council on how to build chapel strength, mount campaigns and deal with the digital transformation of the industry. One of the strongest messages was
the commitment to quality journalism, which many felt was widely under threat from newspaper group policies. They said misguided targets for web hits or numbers of stories do not recognise the reality that news cannot be produced to order. Engaged readers want more than listicles or to buy back
he NUJ stepped up its Local News Matters campaign with a gathering of union representatives for regional media from
user-generated material they are expected to submit themselves. There were powerful descriptions of the bullying and stress still too prevalent in the industry, and those attending were reminded of the importance of effective health and safety representation. Laura Davison, NUJ national organiser, said: “It’s NUJ members who care deeply about quality journalism across print and digital media and who are campaigning and arguing for this principle, as well as proper staffing levels and fair pay. “Readers and advertisers are urged to back
the argument for quality content and oppose some newspaper owners’ attempts to shore up profits at the expense of sustainability.” The Local News Matters campaign aims
to reclaim a press that is at the heart of the community and is owned and operated in the public interest. It calls for: • an inquiry into the state of local news; • local papers to become community assets to prevent titles closing overnight and to give potential new owners the time to put together a bid for a paper; • action to stem job cuts and the attack on quality journalism; • research into new models for local journalism, levies, and tax breaks.
in brief... Union mourns Irish broadcaster Davis
Nicola Coleman, Irish Organiser, said: “It was clear to his colleagues in RTÉ that he was a gifted entertainer, as well as a highly professional broadcaster. After the newsroom, he moved on to present a variety of shows. Among these was The Season That’s In it and Davis At Large, the latter of which won a Jacobs Award. His RTÉ colleagues knew he was a funny presenter, was exceptionally well-read, had unshakeable integrity and was enormously generous.”
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he NUJ has paid tribute to Derek Davis, who died aged 67. As well as being a household name in Ireland and a respected broadcaster, Derek Davis was a longstanding member of the NUJ.
BELFAST AND BIRMINGHAM WIN AWARDS B
elfast’s Sunday Life newspaper was named Daily/Sunday
newspaper of the year and took three other prizes at the Regional Press Awards. The newspaper’s Patricia
Devlin was named Daily/ Sunday reporter of the year and she also won scoop of the year. The fourth prize for Sunday Life was in the ‘make a difference campaign’ category, where
it won for a drive to abolish illegal puppy farming. The Birmingham Mail also took home four awards. The newspaper’s website
was named website of the year and it also won
the digital award. Staff reporter Joe Griffin was named business and finance journalist of the year and Jeanette Oldham was named specialist writer of the year.
It’s NUJ members who care deeply about quality journalism across print and digital media and who are campaigning and arguing for this principle
D’ANCONA IS GQ’S POLITICAL EDITOR Matthew d’Ancona, the political commentator and former editor of The Spectator, has been appointed political editor of GQ. Mr d’Ancona left the Telegraph last year with a number of high-profile journalists. He will continue writing columns for The Guardian, Evening Standard and International New York Times.
TORIES’ EUROPEAN PR GOES IT ALONE John Furbisher is leaving his role as the Tories’ head of media in the European Parliament to launch his own transnational political PR company. Mr Furbisher is a former editor of Sheffield’s The Star. He will launch Furbisher Media in October. The new venture will operate in the UK and Belgium offering political PR and public affairs services.
DC THOMSON BUYS ALL OF SHORTLIST DC Thomson, the Dundee-based publisher, is to buy all of the Shortlist publisher, which produces the free weekly magazines Shortlist and Stylist. DC Thomson became a founder investor in Shortlist Media in 2007 with a group of financial investors and members of the management team. Shortlist began with five staff eight years ago and now employs 150.
WELSH MAGAZINE SAVED FROM CLOSURE Cambria magazine, which describes itself as the national magazine of Wales, has been saved from closure after MegaGroup, an independent newspaper publisher, bought a 50 per cent share in the business. Under the new structure MegaGroup will run advertising sales and operations.
THE TABLET MARKS 175 YEARS IN PRINT The Tablet, the Catholic weekly newspaper, is celebrating its 175th birthday and now has its first woman editor – Catherine Pepinster. The Tablet was launched in 1840 by a Quaker convert to Catholicism, Frederick Lucas, 10 years before the restoration of the Catholic hierarchy in England and Wales.
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