Tag: journalism

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 #MeToo motion at DM2018

August 8, 2018

The branch’s #MeToo motion to the NUJ’s Delegate Meeting was amended and added to by numerous branches, this is what was passed at DM2018:

Composite E (covering motions 45, 46 and amendments)
This DM notes that women are still misrepresented, objectified, humiliated and sexualised in sections of the media. Stereotypes still apply. Victim blaming still occurs when reporting violence against women including harassment. Women employed in the media are also victims of discrimination and inequality.

DM notes that the #MeToo social media campaign has allowed hundreds of women who have suffered from sexual assault around the world to open up about their experiences in atmosphere of mutual support and solidarity.

DM also notes, while having concerns about trial-by-media, the positive role played by social media in providing an environment for openness about sexual harassment and assault that had previously been suppressed.

DM also notes that allegations of sexual abuse and the silencing of those affected have been on-going within large media organisations for years now.

This DM welcomes the call by the General Secretary of the ICTU that complaints of sexual harassment should be explicitly covered as a protected disclosure under the Protected Disclosures Act 2014.

DM notes that the Code of Practice on Protected Disclosures Act 2014 (Declaration) Order 2015 covered harassment but does not make specific reference to sexual harassment in the workplace.

DM calls on the Irish Government to initiate a review of the Code of Practice consistent with the proposal put forward by the ICTU.

This DM reaffirms the union’s commitment to zero tolerance of all forms of harassment in the workplace and instructs the NEC to promote greater awareness of the pernicious nature of gender based harassment, as part of the union’s trade union training programme.

DM welcomes the Stronger Voice for Women in the Media project in Scotland, carried out by the National Union of Journalists, with support from the Scottish Government via the STUC, and hopes that it will be possible to find ways of continuing and expanding this vital work on enhancing the role of women in journalism and the media and how women are still misrepresented.

This DM instructs the NEC to seek to build on the success of the project not just in Scotland but throughout the union by:

  1. Exploring new ways to engage with women providing them with opportunities to come forward with complaints of sexism and harassment in our industry, share their experiences, and expose abusers;
  2. Fighting back and calling out examples of poor treatment of women by the media;
  3. Working with media organisations to build systems of support for their staff who come forward and to develop a system to support our freelance members who have been harassed or abused;
  4. Supporting women who find themselves on the receiving end of sexism, discrimination and harassment, whether in the workplace or by the media;
  5. Pressing for all sectors of the media to adopt responsible reporting standards demonstrating respect for women, eliminating objectification, sexualisation, victim blaming and unjustified personal attacks;
  6. Pushing for greater diversity in all newsrooms with intersectional representation and more women to smash the glass ceiling and fill a greater proportion of senior editorial roles to ensure the media is better representative of all society;
  7. When reporting women, encouraging the media to focus on the ideas, abilities and achievements of women rather than their appearance, personal life and how they dress;
  8. Exploring ways in which women members can achieve a stronger public voice in arguing for better representation of women in the media and by the media.
  9. Requesting the Ethics Council to encourage stronger adherence to the Code of Conduct with specific reference to Clause (9)
  10. Support #MeToo and other online campaigns to expose endemic sexual abuse in media organisations and other businesses including Trade Unions and other membership organisations.

DM also instructs the NEC to draw up a code of conduct for paid and lay officials that would help to create a climate that would eradicate sexual harassment, and which might also serve as a model for chapels to adopt.

DM further instructs the NEC to work with the health and safety committee and equality council to promote health and safety awareness and training so that NUJ councils, committees, branches and chapels are sufficiently knowledgeable of the relevant legislation to put in place measures (in addition to robust house agreements) that can help prevent harassment and provide recourse should it occur.

All our other motions, except for the motion on Membership (which was accidentally missed off the list of motions we confirmed) were passed without amendment (see previous posts).

Members can read all the motions passed at the Delegate Meeting on the NUJ website.