02 Informed


Live from Laura


journalism more broadly will see a range of motions passed next month. As usual, work has been underway on the final report to DM, with Officials and councils draſting their submissions to ensure all delegates are abreast of significant work that has taken place. It was great to see members online at


My first Delegate Meeting as general secretary next month is one I’m looking forward to. Te engagement from members and branches plays a crucial role in our democratic processes.


As we prepare to gather in Blackpool for our Delegate Meeting, now is a good opportunity to remind you all to send the names of members who have sadly died since last DM to allow us to pay tribute to them in our In Memoriam presentation. Send these details including the member’s year of birth and year they died to our campaigns department with a photograph. Email campaigns@ nuj.org.uk with the subject line In Memoriam. Each DM is full of lively debate and respect for varying viewpoints, and I have no doubt our advocacy for members and for


our recent recruitment and organising webinar. My thanks to our reps and NUJ Officials who shared their top tips and reflections. I hope those of you who joined on the day found feedback on activity at the recent Ireland Student seminar, the historic union recognition achievement at PA Media, digital organising ideas and organising at NUJ workplaces all interesting and useful for conversations you may have with your chapel. We’ll report on the session in next month’s NUJ Branch with next steps. With many challenges facing our industry, it’s more important than ever we adapt, thinking creatively about our approaches. Last month, we submitted our


response to the UK government’s Copyright and Artificial Intelligence consultation. Government’s preferred option seeking a broader text and data mining exception with rightsholders required to opt-out of use of their works, was met with staunch opposition from us and sister unions, all recognising the harm this posed. Through engagement with NUJ councils and committees, our response called for greater enforcement of copyright law; the need for greater transparency from tech giants over the data sources used to train and develop AI technologies; and for journalists to have control over their works through an opt-in process. As we await publication of government’s response to the consultation, we continue to brief our Parliamentary Group members to ensure your concerns on the use of AI within journalism are relayed. My thanks to those of you who submitted individual responses, I hope you found key lines on the NUJ website helpful. With over


11,000 submissions received by government, it is clear there is a strong appetite for engagement on the subject. We must, however, be acutely aware of the lobbying by tech companies with deep pockets seeking to influence policymakers and gain access to our members’ data through unfair practices. Our position as a union has been to recognise that AI when used within journalism must be as an assistive tool only, always overseen by human journalists.


Reach must address pay disparity


Reach plc’s annual report revealed that Jim Mullen, who stepped down as the company’s chief executive officer on 31 March, received a £1.24m pay package in 2024. Comprising a bonus of over £600,000, journalists were shocked to see the astronomical figure, not least because a headline across the board offer of 2% has been made to journalists at the company this year. Te gulf between journalists’ salaries and that of the leadership was noted in a statement by the NUJ’s Reach Group Chapel upon publication of the report. Tey noted that the bonus received by Mullen was a thousand times more than the £600 received by employees. Gratitude for the work of journalists was reflected in the CEO’s statement, acknowledging the “excellent and impactful journalism” but our members are seeking more than words. Tey are asking for fair remuneration, that rightly recognises their contribution to the financial success of the company. It is their journalism and dedication aſter all, that helped achieve operating profits of £102.3m last year. Te NUJ says it’s time for greater action to tackle the disparity in employee income.


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