Informed 09


groups which oppose hate figures, such as Tommy Robinson and his supporters. Conference backed a GMB motion which demanded mandatory reporting of the race pay gap and supported an NUJ motion which noted that frequent negative representation of minority groups by the press was linked to lack of diversity in the industry. At the TUC Disabled Workers’


Conference, the NUJ protested against the Department for Work and Pensions’ sneaky newspaper wraparound advertorials about Universal Credit, which passed off government propaganda as “unbranded” information.


NEC member Natasha Hirst said it was


a gross misrepresentation of the impact of this damaging benefit. An NUJ motion called for greater access to professional development for disabled workers. Conference agreed reporting of a disability pay gap must be mandatory – a TUC analysis found the pay difference between non-disabled and disabled workers was 15 per cent, or almost £3,000 a year.


Tirty years of George Viner


At the TUC’s Black Worker’s Conference praise was awarded to the NUJ’s George Viner Memorial Fund, which this year celebrated 30 years of improving the diversity of newsrooms by providing bursaries to students from ethnic minority backgrounds. Te Observer’s chief leader writer, Sonia Sodha (pictured), joined former fund recipients, including Shajan Miah, now a BBC sports journalist, at the ceremony to mark the anniversary and the charity’s work in helping more than 200 students get started in journalism. Aspirant journalists are invited to apply for scholarships tailored to their needs and ambitions. Sharon Tiruchelvam, one of


this year’s award recipients, said: “Journalism can seem like a closed


shop, but we need black and minority ethnic journalists not just reporting the news, but also shaping the news agenda.” Her fellow recipients, known as George Viner scholars, were Precious Adesina, Natasha Onwuemezi and Yinka Oyetade. Adeline Iziren, a scholar in 1993, said: “My grant was absolutely key to me being able to afford my course.” Aſter many years in the national media, including an interview with Nelson Mandela, she now works in the PR department of a major charity.


Snapshot of a sexist workforce


Women photographers can find themselves physically pushed out of the way on jobs by male competitors, but other, more structural, barriers are to blame from preventing them succeeding in a photojournalism career, an NUJ event discovered. NUJ Women Photographers brought


together a mainly-female audience to discuss why the global figure for women photographers in news gathering is only 20 per cent. A study by Stirling University’s


Professor Adrian Hadland of 5,202 photographers from more than 100 countries who took part in the World Press Photo Contest between 2015 and 2018 laid out the facts. More than half surveyed said sexism was the problem, a similar number blamed industry stereotypes and practices and almost


half cited the lack of opportunities offered by photo agencies and media companies. Te demands of family life were also a major factor. Speaking at the conference were Charlie Booth, from the Manchester- based Redeye photographers’ network, and Celia Jackson, co-founder of Phrame, a photography collective based in South Wales. Both organisations offer support


for those starting out and networking opportunities for those in mid-career. Phrame runs portfolio reviews where women can bring their work and ideas to a friendly environment, puts on exhibitions for women beginners, skill-sharing events and raises funding for bursaries.


Natasha Hirst, chair of the NUJ’s Photographers’ Council, said it was


important that images were captured by people from all backgrounds. She had proposed a motion earlier


this year, passed by the TUC’s Women’s Conference, noting the gender imbalance in the industry, saying: “Men and women experience life differently and have different perspectives to offer, yet the view of what constitutes ‘good photography’ has largely been defined by the work of men.” Tose atending the NUJ event agreed


they would benefit from a course on confidence-building and more training on the business side of freelance photography. Tere was a call for the union to encourage commissioning editors to increase the diversity of their pool of freelances and the development of mentorships.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12