Informed 07


Local News Maters Week


A week of action for Local News Matters Week is planned next week, for March 7-14. This campaign raises the profile of local news services and celebrates local journalism. A motion passed at DM 2018 called for this year’s Local News Matters Week to explore the issue of media ownership, new models for news services and provide an opportunity for branches and chapels to lead events promoting local journalism, alerting MPs to the threats to local and regional journalism. Court reporting will also be a theme of the week.


Nesta, the innovation foundation which administered the £2m Future News Fund set up following the Cairncross Review on sustainability of the press, has announced its list of recipients to the fund. Nesta


said the crisis in public interest news must be solved by transforming the way news is created and distributed. The co-operative Bristol Cable will use its £41,143 funding to test “open newsrooms”, moving their media team into the communities they serve. The not-for-profit Manchester Meteor was given £25,000 to expand its membership. Slow news outlet Tortoise got £50,000. The same sum went to WT Social created by Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, which uses a social network model to share quality news. Shout Out UK, the media literacy project for 14 to 19 -year-olds, received £30,000.


Open Democracy will use its £69,800 on a prototype to provide data online to inform public debate and support public interest investigations.


The Media Trust charity will spend its £65,000 on improving representation of people with disabilities, creating a disabled experts directory and providing media training. My Society will use £70,000 to expand its project promoting public interest stories driven by Freedom of Information requests. Entale will use its £50,000 funding to explore


alternative distribution and monetisation mechanisms for public interest podcasting


and Axate has been given £70,000 to


develop its “Oyster card for news” which allows casual readers to pay by the article. So put the dates in your diary and start


your plans for Local News Matters Week. Check the NUJ website for more details.


Reason breaks out in Glasgow Newsquest agreed to drop compulsory redundancies on its Glasgow titles aſter staff voted for industrial action. A ballot of members working on Te Herald, Te Herald on Sunday, the Glasgow Times, Te National and Te Sunday National returned a result of 87 per cent supporting action. Eight members of staff leſt voluntarily, and the company informed the union it would not seek further job cuts. Six new posts were to be filled from external applications. Newsquest also dealt with a case of bullying highlighted by the union. John Toner, NUJ national


organiser for Scotland, said: “Tis proves that when members express themselves collectively, management will take notice. A chapel that has been subjected to cuts and increasing workloads over many years now feels empowered and will have the confidence to continue raising issues with the employer.”


No buyer for JPI Media JPI Media has announced its sale has been put on hold, presumably because it could not find a suitable bidder. Reach had shown some interest and David Montgomery, former head


of Local World, had also been in the running. JPI Media did sell Te i to DMGT for £49.6m, a deal now being investigated by the government’s competition watchdog. Te union has challenged JPI Media for cuting its homeworking allowance, representing a £20 cut per month for members. A final hearing is expected in April.


Vice victory


Te Vice chapel has signed its union recognition agreement. Te members and reps were congratulated for their diligent work and successful campaign. Tey are now submiting their


first pay claim and looking at other industrial issues that need addressing. Two of the reps will be telling their story on a panel at a special training event for reps at Headland House on Saturday 14 March.


Diversity dosh Te National Council for the Training of Journalists is asking for news organisations to contribute to its diversity fund.


In the past 15 years the fund has taken 347 people from diverse backgrounds through NCTJ training. Te NUJ provides bursaries though its George Viner Memorial Fund.


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