Andy Barton / Alamy Stock Photo


02 Keeping safe


David Ayrton, senior organiser and serving officer for the Photographers’ Council, reports on the union’s work with its members over the summer


T


he NUJ was quick to provide support for photographers targeted by far-right mobs this summer.


Te union insists those reporting the violent protests and riots need to be provided with relevant safety equipment. Michelle Stanistreet, NUJ general secretary, said: “It is vital that employers are conducting full risk assessments, providing appropriate safety equipment and ideally deploying staff in pairs or teams. Journalists are increasingly


being targeted by these mobs and we have already reported an incident in Belfast to the police there. Tose safeguards and protections must also be extended to freelances by the media outlets engaging them.” Te union contacted newspaper


Journalists’ Safety Toolkit– with advice for photographers


Action •


Storysmart – training modules for hostile environments


Photographers’


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recruitment poster


organisations to find out how they would be protecting their staff and the freelances covering the riots. It was a mixed response – some newspaper groups appeared to be taking the risks more seriously than others. Te union was concerned that, because of staff cuts and shortages, trainee and inexperienced reporters and photographers were being sent out to cover the disturbances across the UK. Tis information was shared with officials from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport who had contacted the union to find out our concerns. Tis is an important part of our work as members of the National Commitee for the Safety of Journalists. I liaised with the National


Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and individual police forces


to ensure journalists were not impeded while doing their job. I also intervened to demand the return


of a photographer’s confiscated equipment when he was detained during his covering of a protest action. Te union is working with the NPCC to update UK-wide guidance for police officers when dealing with colleagues from the media, and with the council and the National College of Policing to make a new training video for police officers to help improve relations between the police and journalists. It will make the point that the press has the right to be there, but must also act responsibly. Central to this is the continuing recognition given by the NPCC to the UK Press Card Authority press card (the card issued by the NUJ). Following reports that South


Yorkshire Police demanded a photographer hand over images taken during the rioting in Rotherham, the union wrote to the NPCC saying any atempts to force photographers and videographers to hand over images was “an affront to media freedom and puts their safety at risk” and this is now being investigated by the NPCC. Michelle Stanistreet says any member facing this threat should contact the union for assistance.


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CAMPAIGN


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