4 FROM HEALTH CRISIS TO GOOD NEWS:


NUJ calls on all parties to commit to media rescue


The NUJ recovery plan for local and national media in Ireland includes the establishment of a Commission on the Future of Media and interim measures to save Irish media. The NUJ news recovery plan for the UK and Ireland,


From Health Crisis to Good News: A recovery plan for the news industry by the NUJ, can be downloaded from the NUJ website, www.nuj.org.uk. The plan is designed to sustain the press and media through the Covid-19 crisis and reinvigorate the industry into a reimagined future. “A healthy democracy requires a healthy media


industry,” NUJ Irish Secretary Séamus Dooley said. “The NUJ in Ireland calls on all parties engaged in government formation talks to commit to a media rescue plan and to the establishment of a Commission on the Future of the Media in Ireland.” Journalism is not just a business, he said. “In Ireland we have witnessed a new acceptance


that the values of the market do not hold the key to protecting the welfare of our nation,” Séamus said. “There has been a welcome shift in public policy in health, education and social protection. A similar approach is needed to ensure the survival of local and national journalism.” The NUJ call comes as the Irish media industry is


experiencing the devastating impact of the coronavirus pandemic. As Ireland sets about meeting the enormous challenges of the crisis, the NUJ is calling for a government-led strategic initiative to rescue the media, so that it may continue the vital role it has played during this unprecedented period of social and economic uncertainty. As the consequences of the Covid-19 emergency on the Irish media become more apparent there is an urgent need for a reimagining of the State’s role in facilitating a diverse, vibrant and independent media, in enabling public interest journalism and in looking at imaginative solutions to secure employment in the industry. The present crisis has shown just how vital it is to


have a news media providing accurate information, how crucial it is for people to have trustworthy


Séamus Dooley. Photo by Derek Speirs


content and how essential it is that the government and authorities are held to account. The crisis has also exposed the fragile state of the Irish media, the consequences of underinvestment by media organisations in editorial resources and the paucity of action by successive governments to protect public interest journalism. “Public service and commercial broadcasting


organisations, national newspapers, the regional press, specialist titles and on-line/digital publications are tethering on the brink of ruin at a time when the role of the media was never more important to citizens,” Séamus said. That means bold, imaginative polices, including specific measures to protect the regional press and specialist publications, across all platforms. By definition the establishment of a Commission on


the Future of the Media would take time, and must operate in an inclusive and transparent manner. In the interim there is an urgent need for a government task force to implement short-term and medium-term policies to prevent the demise of the industry. Targeted measures aimed at supporting jobs and quality journalism, and bolstering independent, diverse, ethically produced content are needed. Specific intervention is needed to protect and invest in hyperlocal and community enterprises.


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