3


Setting journalist standards that encourage trust


IEC Cathaoirleach Gerry Carson’s welcome to delegates


As Cathaoirleach, I hope you enjoy this online


edition published to coincide with the Biennial Delegate Conference in the Gresham Hotel, Dublin. I hope those honoured for 40 years membership


enjoy making the news. Elsewhere in these pages there are details about


those receiving Certificates and the lead story sketches out the programme for tomorrow. Much has happened worldwide in the two years


since our previous Delegate Meeting and while we might just be a small island on the edge of Europe, major events do find a way of affecting lives here in Ireland, both North and South. And journalists are the key to helping communities everywhere understand what is happening and why . Indeed, at local level, journalists are often the


only members of the public able and willing to ask questions and demand answers from those in authority, be they government, local councils or political parties of every hue! So journalists — real journalists, not the self


appointed bloggers of the world — are vitally important in helping people understand crucial matters and make informed decisions about families, about jobs, education, health, justice and all the other matters which affect lives on our little island. More important than ever, people need to trust


journalists to reflect with truth, fairness and impartiality, stories carried in the pages of newspapers, on radio stations, television channels and digitally on the internet. And in the islands of the UK and Ireland, those journalists on whom the public can really depend are those who belong to the National Union of Journalists. And that's because the NUJ has standards,


defended with vigour, which set out how ethical journalists should behave in following their profession. The NUJ Code of Conduct has as the first principle the requirement that a member ”At all times upholds and defends the principle of media freedom, the right of freedom of expression and the right of the public to be informed”. And the second principle that “A member strives to ensure


that information disseminated is honestly conveyed, accurate and fair”. So I believe that all journalists in these islands


should seek membership and help to fight the ever present pressures on the media, the constant and often unfair demands of media owners, the increasing work loads and the unjust pay and conditions which many face daily in simply trying to carry out their profession to the best of their ability. Union membership brings solidarity and power


and, used carefully, can change and enhance lives. And of course the NUJ offers advice and support in fighting work place injustices. It offers training and many other benefits and over the past two years the Irish Executive Council has been involved in many activities reflecting the needs of members, not just within the UK and Ireland, but in other countries where journalism is under threat.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8