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paper’s photo editor who is well aware of their importance. The problem will come when he retires or leaves the paper. A few years ago, NUJ members in


Leeds began a project to safeguard the abandoned newspaper cuttings files more urgently, to do this before newspapers closed – but it became too difficult. Perhaps it would be possible to gather a wider group of members to develop an early warning system to prevent future journalistic vandalism. Michael Meadowcroft Leeds Branch


A day in court then a night on the town, sort of I was naturally sorry to read Lionel Barlow’s obituary (October/ November), but delighted that he had lived to the good age of 101, still with a glass in his hand.


Lionel, along with a handful of


colleagues from the PA Law Service, had another string to his bow, which the writer of his obituary didn’t mention.


In the 1960s, I worked in the RAC


press office in Pall Mall. After a day’s work at the law courts, instead of catching a train home to Kent, Lionel would do a night shift as duty press officer. We probably paid a pittance, but the perks of the job included a slap-up meal next door in the members’ dining room, a good night’s sleep (if the phone didn’t ring) on a hideaway bed in the office and a full English breakfast before heading back


STEVE BELL


to 85 Fleet Street to start a new day. Graham Snowdon Life member Sheffield


Too many on Tunis trip Regarding ‘How Could the NUJ afford to send seven on Tunis trip?’ (Letters, October/November), I find the response from our general secretary vague to say the least. One good delegate from the NUJ should have been sufficient… Eddie Johnson Life member Middlesbrough


Journalism fails public duties over Brexit I hope no member of the general public read Chris Proctor’s column about Brexit (Great Brexit buffet proves to be a feast, July/August). They might imagine that all journalists are facetious and cynical. He is right that Brexit has been good


for journalism but fails to extend this to the next, dangerous thought. Journalists are not innocent, objective bystanders in the political system whose function is to mock politicians and relay every little Twitter rumour. The media is an interactive


participant in the life of the nation and its purpose is to inform without falsehoods and orchestrate debate about contentious matters. This duty requires the exposition of the biggest variety of ideas. In Brexit, instead, we got an obsession with personalities and mechanisms; the subject was reduced to a discussion about macroeconomics, as if no real people


twitter feed Tweet us your feedback: @mschrisbuckley


Dale’s Journalism (@dalesjournalism) 12:36 PM – Oct 16, 2019 Thank you @NUJofficial magazine for mentioning my graduate of the year award from #UniversityofStirling for Stolen Vision: Counterfeit Medicine in #Iraqi #Kurdistan


Christy Lawrance (@NorthviewN7) 12:39 PM – Oct 16, 2019 Great cover and sharp, illustrated report on what a ‘free press’ is from @SaHreports in The Journalist


Scene & Heard reports/David Ziggy Greene (@SaHreports) 4:26 PM – Oct 14, 2019 What’s happened is the nice people at @NUJofficial asked me to do a little interview about drawing the news. It went from 2 pages to 3 pages to the cover story!!! Thanks. #reportage #news #illustration


would be hurt in the making of policy. Journalism during Brexit has been


reduced to wrangles between columnists and commentators with the same few thoughts and experiences. Their witterings have filled newspapers, websites and airtime for three years but done nothing to further understanding. Most notably, the media has avoided


grappling with the vital issues of sovereignty, democracy, truth and how we know what people actually voted for in 2016.


If it is all a joke and job creation


scheme for Chris, he hasn’t considered the impact of Brexit on people’s lives. Nick Inman Occitanie,France


Politically correct humour – as funny as a phone book So, Josie Long’s baby ‘absolutely hates’ her comedy, Tim Lezard tells us (Arts with Attitude, October/November). Frankly, I’m not surprised. I had the


misfortune to see her in Ireland. She was about as funny as haemorrhoids. Some silly, eager-to-please members of the audience did laugh like drains at her every utterance. But then they would probably have giggled if she’d read out the Dublin telephone directory. Of course, Josie was very politically


correct. But Bernard Manning she certainly wasn’t. Malcolm Tattersall London Freelance branch


THE OWNERS


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