Tag: al jazeera

NUJ London Digital Media Branch donates to the John Schofield Trust

December 2, 2025

The NUJ London Digital Media Branch has agreed a £1,000 donation to the John Schofield Trust as part of their ‘Big Give’ Christmas campaign – a contribution doubled to £2,000 through match funding, made in memory of our Al Jazeera colleagues killed in Gaza and the hundreds of other journalists in Palestine who have lost their lives simply for doing their jobs.

This follows our statement in the summer condemning the targeted killings of Al Jazeera journalists and media workers. Among them were Anas Al Sharif, Mohammed Qraiqea, Ibrahim Al Thaher and Mohamed Nofal. Seven people went out to report the truth and never came home.

Since 7 October 2023, at least 195 journalists and media workers have been killed, 181 of them Palestinian. It is the deadliest conflict for our profession in living memory. Every loss is a family changed forever, a newsroom silenced, a community left without its storyteller.

Our branch’s donation is made in solidarity with those colleagues, and in recognition of the work still needed to support the next generation of journalists — especially those who come from the very backgrounds our industry continues to let down.

The John Schofield Trust’s work could not be more urgent. Their data from 2024 underlines a newsroom reality that remains stubbornly unequal:

  • 66% of their fellows went to non-selective state schools, in an industry where 43% of Britain’s top journalists were privately educated.
  • 41% of fellows are from minority ethnic backgrounds, compared with 12% of UK journalists overall.
  • 45% were the first in their family to attend higher education — in a sector where 82% of journalists hold a degree.
  • 25% of fellows are disabled, compared with 22% across the industry.
  • 37% identify as LGBTQ+, against 6% in UK TV and radio.
  • 29% were eligible for free school meals — in a profession where 75% of journalists come from the highest social classes.

This is what real change looks like: mentoring, skills, confidence and access for young journalists who might never otherwise get a foot in the door of a newsroom. The Trust’s work is slow, deliberate, and above all else, human – the exact opposite of the violence that took our colleagues’ lives.

Our donation is a small act of remembrance, and a practical one. It says that the journalists we’ve lost mattered – and that the journalists coming up behind them matter too.

The targeting of reporters must end. There must be an independent investigation into these killings, and accountability for those responsible. Press freedom is not a frivolous idea; it is paid for, far too often, in the lives of people who believe the public has a right to know.

We honour those who died by standing with those who still choose to do the work.

If you are able to, we encourage you to support the John Schofield Trust directly through their Big Give campaign. Every donation is doubled during the match-funding window, meaning practical help goes further at a time when it is most needed.

The NUJ and Buzzfeed – Vote yes

June 21, 2018

NUJ members and other staff at Buzzfeed are voting on whether or not the NUJ should be the recognised trade union for some staff. The members have gone through an extended process with the Central Arbitration Committee to seek recognition.

One part of the process was to define the specific “bargaining union” – those workers who would fall under NUJ recognition. Frustratingly for some of our members, those journalists with US reporting lines were excluded. Included are the editorial staff working on the News and Buzz and staff supporting editorial work on the service desk with UK reporting lines. The full documentation from the process makes interesting reading.

Another factor that has influenced the process was the staff cull at the start of the year. The NUJ criticised the lack of consultation when the company decided to make 23 editorial roles redundant. Fewer journalists means fewer people taking part in the ballot.

Because of the relatively small numbers involved, every vote counts. One or two votes either way could decide the issue.

There are a couple of things that I think members at Buzzfeed should think about. The first is to put to bed the management myth that the NUJ “are not used to innovative, digital workplaces…” (as Vice EMEA chief executive, Matt Elek, said in 2016). On the contrary, apart from organising the web departments of major employers like the BBC, Guardian, RTÉ and the Irish Times since the end of the ‘90s, back in 2005, the NUJ went through a similar recognition process at AOL UK (then part of Time Warner).

Time Warner was very much an anti-union company and fought tooth and nail in CAC to block recognition. They failed. Almost immediately, the management attitude changed and they started working with the union. When cuts came down from on high (also known as the US), management and the union often came together to reduce their impact.

That’s the second thing to consider. Unionising a workplace changes the dynamic in the workplace. While the power is never equal, organised workers rebalance things more than a little. As a US-owned company, London-based management are likely to experience the same kind of top-down orders as AOL UK did ten years ago and management will probably find that it’s in their interests to work with the union.

The NUJ is part of the International Federation of Journalists, a global organisation of journalists’ unions. As a result, the NUJ’s reach can be much wider than managements expect. Al-Jazeera has discovered that twice in recent years – when the NUJ played an important role in helping to getting their journalists released from Egyptian prisons in 2014 and again last year when Qatar was blockaded and there were demands to shut down Al-Jazeera and other outlets.

The NUJ is not an outside organisation at Buzzfeed. The NUJ is a trade union and is made up of its members. The NUJ wants to empower its members in Buzzfeed and to welcome a recognised chapel in Buzzfeed into the NUJ’s decision-making structures. We’re here for you.

Dear Buzzfeed members: Vote yes, for yourselves.

More on the NUJ website:

Back BuzzFeed NUJ recognition

Draft DM motion: Al-Araby

October 31, 2017

The following is a draft motion to be considered at our next meeting on 31 October.

This DM notes that Al-Araby TV has dismissed two NUJ M/FoCs, has done everything it can to stop NUJ recognition, refused to involve the unions in redundancy talks and, instead, asked staff to elect representatives to take part in the talks. NUJ members who were elected became subject to victimisation and intimidation.

The company is based in London, but is funded by Qatar, which presents itself as a guard of rights and freedom in the Middle East. Qatar received wide support from The NUJ when its rival four Arab countries pressurised Doha to close down Al-Jazeera and other outlets, including Al-Araby TV.

The DM deplores victimising of NUJ reps and members and calls on the company and Qatar to allow freedom of joining the unions and pledges to take all actions to protect the members.

Proposed by Ahmed Elsheikh