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Tenants misunderstand how the media works


Some points on negative coverage of council estate tenants, though not specifically about Grenfell. Social landlords themselves have done much to worsen the image


of their tenants since I was a 1950s kid on Hereford council estates. Stats from back then show 10 per cent of social tenants were unemployed, which fits my recollection of hard-working families, but half a century later only 10 per cent were employed, probably due to social landlords’ preference for guaranteed rent via council benefits. It’s also a question of tenants’ perceptions. I once went on a


suicide “death knock” of a young woman who went out of a 10th-storey window. The husband, a local postie, seemed a decent guy bewildered by events, but he startled me by saying my paper didn’t like postmen. The only thing we’d done on posties was a court case involving a lad who had left much mail undelivered over three months. No way could we not have covered that case. But it led to decent, hard-working local posties believing we were prejudiced against them. Our duty has to be to report fully and fairly, but


that’s not always understood by people who are not used to being in the headlines. Terry Wardle Worcester


Why the choice of cover? “It’s hard to find positive and non- stereotypical portrayals of people who live in social housing.” That being the case, can The Journalist (October-November) explain the reasoning behind its choice of front-page picture? Daisy Fox Merseyside The purpose of the photo was to illustrate the theme of the feature and to show little has changed over the years. Christine Buckley, Editor


Heath investigation raises ethical questions for NUJ The furore over the investigation into allegations of child sexual abuse by Sir Edward Heath raises an important ethical issue. While journalists must


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hold public bodies to account, there is also an overwhelming requirement not to prejudice an ongoing police investigation or a trial. Wiltshire Police were leading a national investigation across multiple force areas in the normal way. This unleashed a barrage of criticism from vested interests including Heath’s friends, family and political associates that was published in the media before the investigation had even reported. The police responded with unprecedented criticism of the media, stressing that they must be able to “carry out investigations with complete independence without commentary which threatens to undermine the process”. Often publicity is helpful to an


investigation, but sometimes it can be damaging. I think the NUJ should


examine the media coverage of Operation Conifer and consider adding to the code of ethics: “13. Do nothing that will prejudice an ongoing police investigation, or a trial.” Tim Hicks Citizen Journalist, North Yorks Enquirer


Much compelling reading in the last Journalist Congratulations on a sparkling Journalist for October/November 2017. Your nibs on what’s happening in journalism worldwide are informative and succinct. The bylined articles on how Gordon Rayner, Ryan Parry and Simon Smith wrote their way to success should encourage young readers – including perhaps student members. The hard-hitting cover story, on the


Email to: journalist@nuj.org.uk Post to: The Journalist 72 Acton Street, London WC1X 9NB Tweet to: @mschrisbuckley


media’s treatment of council tenants, was particularly interesting. My only quibble: isn’t media a plural noun? Other features – Alan Jones on life as an industrial correspondent, Robin Whitlock on the Bristol scene, Barrie Clement’s NUJ Q&A and other regular columns, as well as your obituaries page – are also compelling reading. On a personal note, I was delighted at the possibility of the biennial delegate meeting and other union conferences returning to Blackpool, as that was where, back in the 1960s, I first appeared on the platform. I followed Paul Foot on the subject of victimisation and floated down the steps after my two minutes, convinced of my future as an inspirational speaker. These hopes were dashed when a fellow delegate who had been making notes informed me: “You said ‘umm’ 200 times.” So are the mighty fallen. Jane Hammond, Life member


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DSamir Jeraj (@sajeraj) 10/10/2017, 14:45 Powerful front cover from the @NUJofficial magazine


KathMiddleditch (@KathMiddleditch) 10/10/2017, 16:19 @louisetickle @NUJofficial @seethrujustice Very thought provoking. I can’t see how more transparency is a bad thing, just v tricky


Simon Sapper (@simonsapper) 12/10/2017, 18:32 Must-read by @kath_grant on the demonisation of #SocialHousing


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