02 Informed


Michelle’s Message


When I leave the NUJ – likely at the end of this year – it will be with great pride to have been a part of an incredibly special union, says Michelle Stanistreet


Te run up to a meeting of the union’s National Executive Council is always a busy period, but none more so than its gathering at the end of June. Te week previously had seen the NUJ host the IFJ’s AGM and meeting of its Executive Commitee, with leaders of journalist unions from around the globe. Some had barely dropped their suitcases before they were traversing London’s rush hour traffic to mount a solidarity demonstration demanding the release of Julian Assange outside Belmarsh prison, with placards and a banner with a direct call to the US President – Let Him Go, Joe. Almost as if Biden’s ears were hearing that call across the pond, exactly a week later the long-awaited news came that Assange was free and winging his way to Australia – after breaking his journey in the Northern Mariana Islands to


accept a plea deal that saw him admit to the spying charges in return for the five years he’d spent in prison in the UK and his freedom. Whilst this was a deal and thankfully not a legal determination in court, the principle of gathering and publishing information the government deems to be secret has now been successfully treated as a crime so the potential chilling impact on press freedom is self-evident. The long-running campaign that the NUJ and the IFJ have been a key part of – whatever you think of Assange as an individual – has focused on the impact of an extradition and trial under the Espionage Act on journalists and journalism and has been a testament to the importance of international solidarity and campaigning. Bringing our IFJ colleagues together also provided the opportunity to collectively consider the challenges and changes being wrought by the deployment of generative AI across the news industry and wider society. Key issues of trust in journalism as well as the impact on jobs and work were the subject of animated discussion, as was a keynote speech and lively Q&A with BBC director general Tim Davie. I was also pleased to be able to give colleagues a sneak preview of my revamped News Recovery Plan – now endorsed by the NEC and a policy platform that we hope will be an important campaigning tool for the union in the coming weeks and months.


Alongside a busy itinerary of meetings,


we made time for some sight-seeing with a whistlestop tour on a vintage Routemaster bus that was appreciated by colleagues. Despite the disruption wrought by the unexpected general election to our plans, we still managed to host an event in the House of Lords thanks to the support of Baroness Bonham-Carter, who spoke alongside Lord Hendy KC, with a particularly moving and important contribution from Nasser Abu Baker, president of the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate.


Probably the biggest highlight for our


visitors was the chance to visit an NUJ picket line – from initially planning a small delegation to offer solidarity on day one of the Springer Nature strike, we ended up with the entire IFJ Executive Committee out in force where they got to enjoy a particularly lively and upbeat turnout with plenty of chants and even some pavement dancing to a carefully considered strike soundtrack. Alongside our brilliant outcome at PA,


achieving recognition after a four-year slog that has seen plenty of ups and downs, the effort put in by our strike committee and reps at Springer Nature has been enervating and inspiring. They’ve both made me incredibly proud as general secretary of our chapels and of the wider NUJ team that’s helped us deliver as best we can for our collective memberships. From the celebratory tears of a much-deserved recognition win, the sheer delight of our reps and the festival-like spirit of a picket line on a sunny day, the back-office work to make sure our legal submissions are as potent as they can be, the communications work to amplify our campaigns and drawn in support to the lengthy ACAS negotiations intent on securing the best outcome – these are the moments and the hard yards that make the NUJ what it is. This encapsulates the spirit and ethos of a union that I genuinely believe is quite different in culture and make-up than most in the trade union movement.


Aid for Gaza


Journalists in Gaza need your help to do their job in desperate circumstances. Te IFJ is


supplying vital equipment and aid. Please donate to its safety fund.


Branches can email jackiec@nuj. org to transfer funds from their management allowances.


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