election MICHAEL GRAY Sean Bell
1. What is your vision for The Journalist over the next five years?
In addition to continuing the excellent work The Journalist has done in covering issues which impact our members across the UK, my major goal would be to dramatically expand our coverage of developments in journalism internationally, from unionisation drives in New York to press censorship in Hungary. This would, I hope, not only establish The Journalist as an internationally recognised force within labour journalism, but remind our members that though they may feel isolated, they are nevertheless part of a profession and a movement that spans the entire world. 2. How can The Journalist help promote greater membership participation in the union’s democratic structures? The best way The Journalist can promote greater participation in the union’s democratic structures is by reporting on the concrete consequences of that participation – by demonstrating that the NUJ is not an organisation where edicts are handed down from above, but a vehicle for workers to articulate their hopes and put them into practice. We can provide a forum for journalists to speak of their struggles and their hard-fought victories – the results should speak for themselves. 3. In the context of changing readership demands what would be your strategy for improving the design and layout of the digital format of The Journalist Any time an editor contemplates a significant change, their first act should be to discuss it with those who will be the ones to implement it, as well as the journalists and photographers whose work would be affected by that change. With that
in mind, I will make no commitments to drastically alter the design or layout of The Journalist at this stage, except to say I am always looking for any potential means of increasing the amount of writing we can feature, without sacrificing readability, clarity and a distinctive aesthetic. 4. How do you see the role of The Journalist in covering the industrial activities of chapels, branches and councils? Much mainstream press coverage of union activity focuses on dramatic developments – in particular, strikes and their resolution – but overlooks the context vital to understanding them, or in the words of the American labour journalist Sarah Jaffe, “the particulars of agreements, demands, tensions, and the realities of power.” While coverage of industrial action should always feature within The Journalist, the magazine’s unique position demands it prove in-depth explorations of that wider context, a greater comprehension of which would heighten solidarity across our profession, and leave members better equipped to fight for themselves. 5. In line with the NUJ’s policy objectives how would you propose to increase the diversity of reporters, columnists and photographers contributing to The Journalist? As I am strongly committed to increasing the diversity of those contributing to The Journalist, I would initially set out to do so through expanding our pool of freelancers; however, as open calls and good intentions can only do so much, I would also liaise with the NUJ’s equalities councils for advice on a long-term strategy to improve not just the diversity of our contributors, but also our coverage of, and opposition to, all forms and instances of discrimination, inequality and oppression in our industry and society.
PAT STOCKLEY
buttons, and links to videos and other features that are not possible in print. It would make the digital magazine a richer experience. It would also be an improvement to redesign the magazine for use on mobiles and tablets along with desktops. We would need further
Christine Buckley
1. What is your vision for The Journalist over the next five years? The Journalist is the TUC’s best union journal of the year. Here is the winning edition:
https://tinyurl.com/NUJ-aug- sept-flip
I will build on that success and ensure the magazine appeals to as many members and potential members as possible with quality journalism and relevance. There are many more stories to tell and challenges to face. AI is a game changer; Trumpian lies, and social media disinformation threaten to make the vision of our former member George Orwell a reality. The Journalist must be a key source of information and debate. See more at
votechristinebuckley.wordpress.com 2. How can The Journalist help promote greater membership participation in the union’s democratic structures? It’s important to highlight the union’s democracy in action – at regional and national TUC meetings; at specialist conferences on issues such as disability, gender, and race. We also have reports from student conferences because their participants are our future. It’s also good to feature
democracy in the workplace because that is where most people will first encounter the union’s structures. In June I reported from a great reception at the FT where the NUJ chapel invited past officials along to learn from their experience and help build the future. This helps inspire people to get
involved. 3. In the context of changing readership demands what would be your strategy for improving the design and layout of the digital format of The Journalist It would be good to add value to the digital edition with interactive
investment for these changes. It’s worth noting though that in 2022 The Journalist (in digital form) was commended in the TUC communications awards and the design and layout were praised. This is a credit to our part-time designer. 4. How do you see the role of The Journalist in covering the industrial activities of chapels, branches and councils? Industrial activities such as organising, pay claims, disputes, and dealing with health and safety issues are bread and butter union work, and so are prominent in The Journalist. In the current magazine we have the inspiring strike and pay win at Springer Nature which gathered support from an array of Nobel Prize winners. We also hail the success of the PA Media chapel who fought a long battle to win union recognition. And we have a great feature by the chair of our South- West England branch on the importance of getting active across the union. 5. In line with the NUJ’s policy objectives how would you propose to increase the diversity of reporters, columnists and photographers contributing to The Journalist? I am always open to contributions from all members. And I try to ensure that the breadth of our membership is represented. We have had pieces on disability by our president and carry reports on our black members council and the George Viner bursary scheme which promotes diversity in journalism. We have a wide range of contributors and welcome new writers and visual journalists. We have only two regular columnists – Ray Snoddy who is a renowned expert on the media, and Chris Proctor who ends the magazine on a lighter note, which is also important.
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