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Minister supports ban on photographing gardaí


Ireland’s minister for justice has said he would be in favour of legislation that would ban the photographing of the country’s police – the gardaí – in the course of their duties. In an interview for RTE’s Radio 1, Charlie Flanagan condemned online threats made against a garda and said that such abuse was becoming more of a feature of online activity. The Garda Representative Association has


proposed legislation that would make it an offence to photograph gardaí while they are working. When asked by


presenter Sean O’Rourke whether he was well disposed towards this proposal and if it was something he was prepared to bring to government, Flanagan said: “Yes, I think it’s something that can be favourably looked at.”


Séamus Dooley, NUJ Irish secretary, said:


“The National Union of Journalists would be strongly opposed to the proposed restrictions. I was surprised and disappointed by the support for such a proposal by minister for justice and equality Charles Flanagan.


“The NUJ condemns online abuse of any individual or group of workers. I would support the call by John Jacob, general secretary of AGSI [Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors] for greater vigilance by multinational companies in monitoring and tackling online abuse. Gardaí and their families are entitled to protection from such abuse but an outright ban on photographing gardaí at work, as favoured by some representative bodies, would be an infringement on the fundamental rights exercised by the media, as enshrined by the


constitution and specifically protected under article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights. “The European Court of Human Rights has


been accorded the broadest scope of protection in the court’s case law. In the landmark Goodwin case taken by the NUJ [in 1996], the court recognised what it called ‘the watchdog role of the media’ and stated very clearly that restrictions on media freedom can only be justified by ‘an overriding requirement in the public interest’.”


No single solution, union tells Cairncross


There is no one-size- fits-all solution to the current media crisis, the NUJ has said in its submission to the Cairncross review into the sustainability of high-quality journalism in the UK.


The union pointed out that both journalists and the communities they serve have been hit hard by the cuts. The NUJ has highlighted a


range of measures that could bolster ethical, diverse, high-quality journalism that


is in the public interest. The NUJ is calling for an


economic stimulus plan for the media, including arms-length government subsidies, the strategic use of central and local government advertising, tax


credits, tax breaks and a combination of funding such as grants, loans and community share schemes.


https://www.nuj.org.uk/ news/nuj-submission- cairncross/


Online-only Indy trails print newspaper rivals


The Independent, which went online only in 2016, is struggling to retain British readers, and the total time spent by readers with the title has tumbled. A study has found that its British readership has declined by about one per cent since it went online only. This contrasts with an average 25 per cent rise for 12 national newspapers that publish print editions. The total time spent with The Independent by its British audience is down by more than 70 per cent since the switch. Lead author Dr Neil Thurman, of City, University of London and LMU Munich,


said: “The reason for the decline in time spent seems to be to do with how differently content is consumed in print and online. The Independent’s print readers were much more frequent consumers than its online visitors are.” Raymond Snoddy, page 19


PICTOKRAFT / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO


SARAH CORP FELLOWSHIP SET UP Channel 4 News has established a fellowship in memory of senior foreign affairs producer Sarah Corp who died from cancer in 2016 after 17 years with the programme. The fellowship will be awarded to one person each year, who will spend six months on the foreign desk in London and the second half of the year at the Washington DC bureau.


theJournalist | 05 “


An outright ban on photographing gardaí at work would be an infringement on the fundamental rights exercised by the media


Séamus Dooley NUJ Irish secretary


inbrief...


END OF THE ROAD FOR PRESS CAMPAIGN The Campaign for Press and Broadcasting Freedom has closed after nearly 40 years of campaigning for a ‘more diverse, democratic and accountable media’. It began in 1979 after the winter of discontent to work with unions who were unhappy about their treatment in the media. The CPBF, to which the NUJ was affiliated, closed due to lack of funds.


NEWSNIGHT’S DAVIS GOES TO RADIO 4’S PM Evan Davis will leave Newsnight by the end of October to present Radio 4’s current affairs programme PM. Davis, who has been the lead presenter on Newsnight since 2014, replaces Eddie Mair, who left to host a drivetime show on LBC.


OWEN MOVES UP AT MAIL ON SUNDAY Mail on Sunday deputy political editor Glen Owen has been promoted to political editor. He replaces Simon Walters, who has moved to the Daily Mail as assistant editor (politics) after nearly 20 years with the Sunday title.


NEW DEGREE UNITES JOURNALISM AND PR The University of Salford has begun a new degree course combining journalism with public relations, saying it will ‘produce graduates who are skilled in a wide range of areas’. The BA (Hons) Journalism with Public Relations course is based at Manchester’s Media City. Positively PR, page 14.


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