Media Quotes of the Week: From tv crew feel guilty as forced to leave Afghanistan to civil servants are gutting the UK's Freedom of Information Act

Sky's chief correspondent Stuart Ramsay on leaving Afghanistan: "The operational commanders wanted us to stay to the very end and leave with them, but the orders to remove us came from the MoD or from Whitehall, or both. We had fought to stay for days but ultimately we found ourselves on a military base and we were being ejected - there is nothing you can do. It was all conducted in a cordial manner, but we WERE kicked out. I suspect the prospect of the withdrawal being filmed in heart-breaking detail was a risk the government wasn't prepared to take, because this will end badly for thousands, I guarantee it...

"We felt guilty we were leaving - myself, my producer Dominique, Sky colleague Martin, and Toby. An easy exit for a group of journalists guaranteed safety by our soldiers and our governments. I'll take the jibes and the scorn for leaving. But I will say this: if we hadn't been there, nobody would have seen any of the scenes of horror and desperation that have engulfed this entire operation, none of the incredible work by the British military, and the Foreign and Home Office staff."

Sharif Hassan on Twitter: "Alireza Ahmadi, a dear journalist friend and his younger brother, were among the dead victims of yesterday’s #KabulAirport attack. He worked for different local media outlets for over a decade as a writer, photographer and reporter, giving voice for his people. RIP brother."

A female reporter in Kandahar, quoted by The Times [£]: “The Taliban’s ban of female journalists from TV and radio is not a surprise for me. It was expected as the Taliban started stopping women from work in media, banks, activism and other jobs before they took Kabul. Today, no female presenter or anchor were seen on TV in Kandahar. It’s very sad. I know many female journalists who are in hiding or have fled. There is no space left at all for working women in Afghanistan.”

Hugh Tomlinson in The Times [£]:  "The boom in Afghanistan’s free press was hailed as one of the greatest virtues to come out of the years of conflict that followed the US-led invasion in 2001. The birth of independent broadcasters and radio stations provided job opportunities for a new generation of educated, young Afghans, including many women given the chance to work for the first time. In the months before the final Taliban offensive, however, female journalists and media workers were murdered, apparently to frighten women out of the workplace."

Piers Morgan on Twitter: "I’m delighted OFCOM has endorsed my right to disbelieve the Duke & Duchess of Sussex’s incendiary claims to Oprah Winfrey, many of which have proven to be untrue. This is a resounding victory for free speech and a resounding defeat for Princess Pinocchios. Do I get my job back?"

• The Times [£] reports: "Morgan said that ITV would have to make a public apology if it wanted to restore him to Good Morning Britain. ITV sources said that executives had no 'current plans' to give him his job back, although there is speculation among insiders that the broadcaster may return to its star presenter. 'I’d put money on it,' one source said."

NUJ broadcasting organiser Paul Siegert in a statement on claims the Government is going to set the BBC licence rise below the rate of inflation: "Cutting funding to the BBC, via a below inflation rise in the licence fee, will mean the BBC will be able to offer less to the public - less local and national news, less journalism, less on the radio, website and TV, and less diversity and less quality programming and output."

The Sun in a statement: “On 17 September 2019 we published a story titled ‘Tragedy that Haunts Stokes’ Family’ which described a tragic incident that had occurred to Deborah Stokes, the mother of Ben Stokes, in New Zealand in 1988. The article caused great distress to the Stokes family, and especially to Deborah Stokes. We should not have published the article. We apologise to Deborah and Ben Stokes. We have agreed to pay them damages and their legal costs.”

The Guardian in a leader: "Whitehall is too fond of secrecy. It is absurd to think that it was once forbidden to name the heads of the UK intelligence services. In the past decade, revelations from WikiLeaks to Edward Snowden to the Pegasus project have demonstrated the extent of official impunity when it comes to national security. The sensible political response would be to halt such actions and impose a system of oversight and democratic control. Putting state activities beyond sight with laws that control the press would represent a new stage in the growth of authoritarian government in Britain."

Ray Snoddy on Mediatel: "Can anything save Channel 4 now from an unnecessary, pointless and potential damaging privatisation? At least the Channel seems to have a new, powerful ally – God – or at the very least, Bishops of the Church of England. Archbishop Cottrell of York has written to Culture Secretary, Oliver Dowden saying that Channel 4 offers 'something unique and precious in the British public service broadcasting ecology' and how important it was that such important programming should not be lost. The Bishop of Leeds, the Rt Revd Nick Baines was even sharper in his denunciation. The privatisation plan was 'ideologically driven and therefore short-sighted and wrong, ' he wrote. The voice of the bishops might have achieved more purchase from devout Anglican Theresa May than the occasional, convenient Catholic, Boris Johnson."

Chris Cook in the Financial Times on the Freedom of Information Act:  "There was no golden age of the FOIA: reporters always needed to disguise what they actually wanted. The law gives the government the right to keep some types of information secret, and many civil servants have long seen their job as stretching those bits of law to cover any information that might be important. Some institutions, particularly the Cabinet Office, have habitually disobeyed the law. Increasingly, though, it appears officials are openly trying to keep secrets secret...MPs are unlikely to vote for the removal of the Freedom of Information Act: after all, it would look pretty rum. But they do not need to. The civil service is quietly gutting it."

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Media Quotes of the Week: From Taliban already threatening and harassing journalists to Society of Editors withdraws 'UK press not racist' statement

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) in a statement: "Publicly, the Taliban have undertaken to protect journalists and respect press freedom but the reality in Afghanistan is completely different. The new authorities are already imposing very harsh constraints on the news media even if they are not yet official.The list of new obligations for journalists is getting longer by the day. Less than a week after their spokesman pledged to respect freedom of the press 'because media reporting will be useful to society,' the Taliban are subjecting journalists to harassment, threats and sometimes violence."

Jeremy Dear, International Federation of Journalists deputy general secretary, on journalists in Afghanistan: "It is an incredibly challenging time for media workers. Many are fearful for their lives, women journalists are being prevented from working, some media have been forced to close, hundreds have fled or are trying to leave the country. At the same time others are trying to continue to work as journalsts but with a threat hanging over them and with severe restrictions on what they can report. Despite the propaganda that there would be no revenge by the taliban there have been reports of door to door searches for journalists and threats against many of them...We had one instance of a family being threatened and told the only way they would be left in peace is if their daughter - a journalist - married the local Taliban commander."

The Committee to Protect Journalists in a statement: "As the Taliban attacks reporters, searches their homes, and takes two female state TV anchors off the air, CPJ calls on the group to stand by its public commitment to allow a free and independent press, and to guarantee that all journalists are able to work safely and without interference. CPJ also urges the United States to ensure the safety of Afghan journalists by facilitating safe passage out of the country and providing emergency visas."

Deutsche Welle (DW) Germany’s international broadcaster reports:"Taliban fighters hunting a DW journalist have shot dead one member of his family and seriously injured another. The Taliban were conducting a house-to-house search to try and find the journalist, who now works in Germany. Other relatives were able to escape at the last moment and are now on the run. DW Director General Peter Limbourg issued a strong condemnation and called on the German government to take action. 'The killing of a close relative of one of our editors by the Taliban yesterday is inconceivably tragic, and testifies to the acute danger in which all our employees and their families in Afghanistan find themselves,' Limbourg said."

NUJ general secretary Michelle Stanistreet in a statement condemning the actions of anti-vaccine protestors who occupied the London headquarters of ITV News and Channel 4 News, targeted journalists including the Channel 4 News presenter Jon Snow: "Journalists have to be free to go about their work without abuse and harassment. It is disturbing and concerning to see the vitriol being expressed against media workers – rhetoric that has been whipped up and cynically exploited in some quarters. Today’s occupation is not an isolated example – it’s the latest in a series of incidents in which reporters and photographers have been hounded and abused – in the streets, in their workplaces and even at their home. More needs to be done by the police and by employers to step up security and clamp down on abuse."

Iain Dale on Twitter on the political row over Jess Brammar being up for a new post overseeing the BBC’s domestic and international news channels. "Given the BBC has banned its employees from defending @jessbrammar against misogynistic & unfair attacks, especially from the Mail, let me do so. Most political journos have 'views'. The key is if those views dictate their journalism. In my experience, she's a total professional."

BBC insider, quoted in The Times [£]: “What’s next, is the government of the day going to express an opinion on the next political editor of the BBC, or the next presenter of the Today programme or Newsnight? It’s disturbing. The BBC is now in a no-win situation. If the BBC doesn’t appoint her, then it looks weak, callow, and partial because it’s giving in to the government of the day about something so minor. If it does appoint her, it will be a massive culture war issue.”

Dawn Alford, executive director of the Society of Editors, in a statement: "Our previous executive director resigned following a statement he issued in which he said the press was not racist or bigoted. That statement didn’t accurately reflect the complex, challenging and changing processes that all society – including the media – is experiencing. It also did not reflect the continuing actions of the Society of Editors to support publishers in improving diversity and inclusion within our industry. We have taken down this initial statement from our website and consider this to be a formal withdrawal of it."

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Media Quotes of the Week: Downing Street in Trumpian attack on Guardian and Mirror to victorious NHS campaigner thanks journalists

Downing Street spokesman, quoted by the Observer: "Yesterday [Friday] the Mirror and Guardian wrote inaccurate stories about Mr Cummings. Today [Saturday] they are writing more inaccurate stories including claims that Mr Cummings returned to Durham after returning to work in Downing Street on 14 April. We will not waste our time answering a stream of false allegations about Mr Cummings from campaigning newspapers.”

Ian Murray, executive director of the Society of Editors, in a statement: “No administration that believes in a free media – and this government has repeatedly stood by that assertion – can then decide which media it will respond to and which not...At a time when the UK government is heading the Global Campaign for Media Freedom this is hardly a shining example to set...We will be asking Number 10 to once again give assurances that all mainstream media will be treated equally, and that open government will survive even during this time of crisis.”

Reporters Sans Frontiers UK bureau director Rebecca Vincent in a statement: "We are alarmed by the UK government’s dismissal of serious public interest reporting as ‘false’ and coming from ‘campaigning newspapers’. These Trumpian tactics are only serving to fuel hostility and public distrust in media. This worrying trend is certainly not in keeping with the government’s stated commitment to champion global media freedom - and must be immediately reversed before the UK’s press freedom climate is further eroded."

• Steve Richards on Twitter: "Astonishingly naive response from Number 10...copying Trump.. but in a way that makes Trump seem subtle.."
• Ian Wylie on Twitter: "I was a member of the Westminster Parliamentary Press Lobby / Press Gallery for 30 years. The No 10 statement on Dominic Cummings followed by an orchestrated campaign of support from ministers is one of the most shameful things I have ever seen from any government."

"Friends of Mr Cummings suggested he would be going nowhere. One told the PA news agency: 'He isn't remotely bothered by this story, it's more fake news from the Guardian. There is zero chance of him resigning'."

Andrew Griffith MP on Twitter, as reported by the Littlehampton Gazette, after Dominic Cummings rose garden press conference: "Calm, fulsome and reasonable explanation given by DC just now. Sunlight shone on the situation. Media to now crawl back under rocks.."

Hugo Rifkind in The Times [£]: "Often, his enemies cast him as one of those mystical, wibbly, blue sky-thinking gurus who political leaders always seem to have these days. That, though, is a category error. There is nothing mystical or wibbly about Cummings. He has a clear and consistent political stance, which is that everybody else is an idiot. In particular, he likes to rail against what he perceives as a suffocating media-political conventional wisdom that is wrong about virtually everything. Wrong about the EU, wrong about education, wrong about the civil service, wrong about the role of parliament. Wrong that somebody in the midst of a scandal like this ought to explain themselves, just because some newspaper asks some questions."

Amy Fenton, Newsquest's chief reporter in South Cumbria, on threats which have forced her to move to a secret location with police protection: "While it isn’t the first time this has happened to me I’m determined that it will be last, by ensuring each and every one of these people faces the full force of the law. Not only have they threatened to 'throat punch' me, slit my throat, and set me on fire, but they have involved the welfare of my little girl and that is beyond acceptable. As a journalist I won’t tolerate anyone threatening me but as a mum I won’t tolerate anyone putting my daughter’s life at risk."

BBC reprimand for Emily Maitlis intro on Newsnight Dominic Cummings report: "While we believe the programme contained fair, reasonable and rigorous journalism, we feel that we should have done more to make clear the introduction was a summary of the questions we would examine, with all the accompanying evidence, in the rest of the programme. As it was, we believe the introduction we broadcast did not meet our standards of due impartiality."

• Paul Siegert, NUJ national broadcasting organiser, in a statement: "NUJ members across the corporation are outraged at the treatment of a respected colleague and a key face of the BBC. It is wholly unacceptable for journalists to be pilloried on social media, and let down by their employer, for doing their jobs whilst scrutinising decision-making and holding the government to account."

Rod Liddle in The Sunday Times [£] praises the BBC: "Covid-19 has been the remaking of it, reminding us first and foremost that it can, on occasion, bring the nation together in something other than seething irritation and that — never mind the market — a centrally funded, independent news network has its benefits...By and large, the news programmes, on radio at least, have been calm, measured, balanced and informative — especially Sarah Montague on World at One and Evan Davis on PM."

International Federation of Journalists deputy general secretary Jeremy Dear, interviewed on the IFJ website: "At the moment Google and Facebook are trying to portray themselves as saints and saviours by handing out grants to selected media. We don’t want the crumbs from their table. We want them to pay their fair share. The big six US tech firms have been accused of “aggressively avoiding” $100bn (£75bn) of global tax over the past decade. That must stop! We believe that a global fund, managed by representative media and journalists’ organisations, with a remit to promote public interest media can create a sustainable future for media and guarantee citizens their rights to an independent pluralistic media."

Liam Kelly in The Sunday Times [£]: "The retreat of BuzzFeed News, which started as an aggregator of viral content but became a respected outlet catering for younger readers, illustrates the depth of the crisis the pandemic has sparked among digital media upstarts once touted as the future of journalism. They have succumbed to issues older titles have faced for years far more quickly than many of their print rivals, and in the process raised questions over the future of free mass news online."

Press Gazette reports: "UK national newspapers no longer have to make their print circulations public through auditors ABC, which means we may never get the full picture of the impact of coronavirus on newspaper sales. News UK, publisher of the Sun and Times titles, has opted to make its circulation figures private – only agencies who have signed a confidentiality agreement can see them."

News UK chief operating officer David Dinsmore in a statement: “News UK is a multi-platform business with brands that reach more people than ever before via mobile, web, apps, video, radio stations and podcasts, alongside print. While print remains a vitally important method of distributing our editorial to readers and meeting our advertisers’ needs, it is logical that the way we measure our audiences reflects the way the world works today.”

UN investigator Agnès Callamard, quoted in the Guardian, has predicted Saudi Arabia will eventually release the killers of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi after they were said to have been forgiven by his sons: “All of us who over the last 20 months have reported on the gruesome execution of Jamal Khashoggi and absence of accountability for his killing expected this. The Saudi authorities are playing out what they hope will be the final act in their well-rehearsed parody of justice in front of an international community far too ready to be deceived.”

Hassan Akkad, whose campaign for migrant NHS workers to be exempt from a health surcharge led to the Government u-turn on the issue, on Twitter: "Thanks to you, the unions, the campaigners and the journalists who helped us get our message across, like Piers Morgan and James O'Brien, to name a few...Britain is great because of you."

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NUJ to hold strike ballot at BBC over job cuts

Thousands of NUJ members at the BBC are to be balloted for strike action in response to the threat of compulsory redundancies across the Corporation.

The union says that around 100 BBC journalists based in the World Service, BBC Monitoring, Online, and in Scotland and Wales are threatened with compulsory redundancy.

The NUJ, which represents the majority of journalists at the BBC, is to ballot members after it says the BBC refused to consider further moves to secure redeployment or find alternative opportunities for around 100 staff.

NUJ general secretary Jeremy Dear said: "For months we have been negotiating with the BBC and have been able to resolve most cases by agreement. But the BBC’s refusal to consider workable alternatives for around 100 staff has left us with no choice but to ballot members for industrial action to defend jobs and services. There is no justification for these compulsory redundancies."

The union will begin the ballot next week.

Pic: Jeremy Dear speaking at protest against BBC World Service job cuts outside Bush House in London. (Jon Slattery)

Punk not dead...Jeremy Dear is Joe Strummer

Outgoing NUJ general secretary Jeremy Dear can be seen here singing Janie Jones backed by a Clash tribute band.

Maybe the reasons why Dear has decided to quit his post and not stand for re-election are contained in the lyrics:

"He's in love with rock'n'roll woaahh
He's in love with gettin' stoned woaahh
He's in love with Janie Jones
But he don't like his boring job, no..."

I liked the quote from new general secretary-elect Michelle Stanistreet after Dear's performance at the NUJ's delegate meeting in Southport at the weekend. "It was certainly interesting,” she said. "But we will be consulting with our grassroots members through our Tea Dance Working Party to establish future policy on musical entertainment.

"Sing-along numbers like ‘Janie Jones’ are certainly popular with the older delegates, but it may be that our younger members would prefer something more modern and fab groovy, as I understand they say."

NUJ fears over plans to axe BBC local radio: 'At least 700 jobs could go and stations may close'

The NUJ has condemned proposals which the union says could see BBC local radio services being axed as part of a programme of savage spending cuts.

The union says staff are to be briefed tomorrow (Friday 18 March) about a series of proposals for the future of local radio – including plans to produce local breakfast and drive-time shows only with all other programming being delivered by Radio 5 Live.

It claims: "BBC staff fear the plans would mean the loss of at least 700 jobs and the possible closure of some stations."

The NUJ has called on the BBC to “step back from the brink” and protect the important role of local radio.

NUJ general secretary Jeremy Dear said: “Local radio plays a crucial role in keeping local communities informed. These proposals would rip the heart out of local programming and effectively sound the death knell for local radio.

“The BBC’s plans would be a blow to quality journalism at the BBC and fly in the face of public commitments to localism and transparency. Local radio programmes are produced by local people for local audiences yet these decisions are being taken far away from communities and behind closed doors.

"The BBC must step back from the brink and protect local radio services. If they do not we will actively resist plans which threaten to inflict such devastating damage to local radio services.”

Update: A BBC spokesman has told the Guardian: "No decisions have been made so it would be wrong to speculate. It is of course only right that BBC staff have an opportunity to input ideas about shaping the BBC's future.

"The [delivering quality first] sessions are designed to provoke discussion among staff about the way the BBC works and any decisions coming out of the process would be subject to approval by the BBC Trust."

NUJ condemns new code on council newspapers

The NUJ has condemned the government's plan to push ahead with curbs on council publications which would stop local authority newspapers being published more than four times a year.

It puts the union firmly at odds with regional newspaper publishers who have campaigned strongly against council publications as unfair competition to the local press.

The union’s criticism came as Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government Eric Pickles revealed the revised Code of Recommended Practice on Local Authority Publicity.

The revised code includes a ban on local authority newspapers being published more often than four times a year. The rules also stipulate that council advertising should not be politicised or a commentary on 'contentious areas of public policy'.

The new code comes despite a Commons' Communities and Local Government Select Committee report last month suggesting there was little evidence council papers compete unfairly with the local press.

NUJ general secretary Jeremy Dear said: “Today’s announcement is undemocratic and perverse and shows what a sham the consultation really was. The committee found no evidence to back up Eric Pickles’ wild assertions. It called for a fair and independent assessment of the impact of such publications on local newspapers. Eric Pickles has chosen not to deal with the facts but to display gross ignorance and bias”.

The revised Code of Recommended Practice on Local Authority Publicity includes seven new central principles "that make sure that council publicity is lawful, cost effective, objective, even handed and appropriate, and that it has regard to equality and diversity and is issued with care during periods of heightened sensitivity", according to the Department for Communities and Local Government.

In particular, the new rules would define 'appropriate use of publicity' in relation to council newspapers and use of lobbyists:

• Advertising should be balanced, factually accurate and not likely to be perceived by the public as a political statement or a commentary on contentious areas of public policy.
• Councils should not publish newspapers in direct competition to local press. They should not appear more than quarterly and should only include material directly related to local services.
• Councils should not spend taxpayers' money to lobby government through private sector lobbyists or through publicity stalls at party conferences.

Read my guest blog: Confessions of a council propagandist (by a council newspaper editor)

NUJ leader Dear won't stand for re-election

NUJ general secretary Jeremy Dear is not to stand for re-election as the union's leader after a decade in the post, the union announced today. It means there will be an election for a new general secretary later this year.

Dear was the union’s youngest ever leader when he was elected in 2001 at the age of 34. He was re-elected in 2006.

He said: “It was the proudest moment of my life being elected general secretary and I have been honoured to have had the opportunity to serve our union at every level over many years.

"Throughout all my years as a lay activist or a full time official I have never failed to be inspired by the spirit of the NUJ members and their continued commitment to fight for social and economic justice. My deep thanks go to all those – staff, reps and members – who do so much to make the NUJ the fantastic union it is and whose friendship and solidarity I have been fortunate to share over the years”.

Dear's departure comes at a time when some within the union are proposing that membership of the NUJ should be extended to all those working in the media, even if they are not journalists. This would counter a fall in membership caused by the widespread cut in editorial jobs over the past few years.

Among the favourites to succeed Dear would be his deputy, Michelle Stanistreet.

• Pic: Jeremy Dear speaking at a demo outside Bush House against job cuts at BBC World Service. (Jon Slattery)
  

Dear condemns BBC cuts of up to 360 online jobs

NUJ general secretary Jeremy Dear (left) claimed today that BBC plans to cut up to 360 jobs in the online service made no sense at a time when the public's use of the internet is increasing.

Dear said: "The attack on BBC jobs and online services shows the BBC’s contempt for hard working staff. It makes no sense to cut back the BBC website as increasing numbers of people rely on the internet. The NUJ will not stand by idly if members are forced out of their jobs.

“Mark Thompson has turned logic on its head by announcing the cuts with a declaration that ‘BBC Online has been a brilliant success’. The cuts in jobs and online content will seriously damage a service which has won widespread public support and is the envy of commercial competitors.

"The BBC proposals fly in the face of public support for the online service. The BBC’s own public consultation showed that 46 per cent of people supported the Online services and there was strong public opposition to a reduction in service. The BBC Online Review which has resulted in the cuts proposals was not subject to any public consultation and seriously damages the BBC’s reputation for quality.”

• See BBC Trust approves new online strategy
  

Dear 'stench of corruption' surrounds BSkyB deal

NUJ general secretary Jeremy Dear has said the proposed deal by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation to take full control of BSkyB should not be considered while the phone-hacking allegations at the News of the World remain unresolved.

Speaking at a public meeting in the House of Commons about media diversity and the proposed BSkyB deal last night, Dear said it was wrong to give Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt the final say because of his past favourable comments about Murdoch and Sky.

Dear, repeating a phrase from Henry Porter's article in the Observer on Sunday, said the "stench of corruption" was growing day by day over News International's alleged "collusion" with police over the investigation into phone-hacking by the News of the World and the close links between the Murdoch empire and the Conservative leadership.

Dear asked: "How can a decision to hand Murdoch Sky be left to Jeremy Hunt when he has praised Sky and Murdoch and criticised the BBC?"

He said it was"unacceptable that this merger is still being considered" when the phone-hacking allegations were still under investigation. Dear claimed if the BBC had been embroiled in a similar scandal the Murdoch press would be demanding "that heads roll".

The NUJ leader also argued: "Sky News has an independent voice because it has independent directors and shareholders. Rupert Murdoch has said Sky is not yet like Fox News because 'nobody at Sky listens to me'."

Dear argued that with Rupert Murdoch economic control was followed by editorial control via his appointment of executives and editors that supported his views. "Every single one of his 175 newspapers had the same pro-war line on the Iraq war," he said. "We call on the Government to stop this merger."

PA reports that Hunt told a debate on the future of the media at the London School of Economics last night that he expects his decision on whether to allow the proposed takeover of BSkyB by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation to be "judicially challenged" whatever decision he comes to. He said: "I can't get drawn on this, sorry. This is a decision that is likely to be judicially challenged by the side that is disappointed."

PA also reports the LSE debate was interrupted after 20 minutes when student demonstrators walked into the hall and began to barrack Hunt, chanting "Minister of Culture, Tory Vulture" and "Tory scum" and questioning whether he could be a neutral judge of the proposed takeover. ( See it on YouTube)

• Hunt tweeted: "On tube going home after LSE interview which was considerably livened up by chanting student demonstrators. Happy New Political Year...."

NUJ says BBC has agreed to its talk conditions

The NUJ said today it has suspended strikes at the BBC planned for next Monday and Tuesday and will enter talks over the pensions dispute - after the corporation agreed to rescind disciplinary action against union members overseas who took part in the strike action last week.

NUJ general secretary, Jeremy Dear said: "We welcome the BBC's change of heart and agreement to enter talks following industrial action by thousands of journalists and other BBC staff. We will enter those talks determined to seek a negotiated settlement. But we remain committed, and authorised, to take further industrial, political and legal action in the event that talks fail to deliver a fair pensions settlement".

Dear to BBC: 'Wait to see size of pension defecit and we will suspend industrial action'

NUJ general secretary Jeremy Dear has said the only way a fair settlement of the pensions dispute at the BBC can be achieved is to wait for a proper assessment of the defecit in the pension fund.

He addedd the NUJ would suspend industrial action immediately if the BBC agreed to reopen negotiations should the deficit turn out to be less than £1.5bn.

Dear said: “We’re determined to achieve a pensions settlement which is fair – but the only way we can know what is fair is by knowing exactly how big the pensions fund deficit is. The BBC have variously claimed that it’s £2bn, or £1.5bn, or somewhere in-between.

“We’re saying that in advance of the deficit being properly assessed and us all finally knowing the actual size of the deficit, the BBC should not impose changes now. The pension fund’s regular, scheduled, assessment is due early next year. If the BBC agree to reopen negotiations should the deficit turn out to be less than £1.5bn - and make it clear that in the meantime, any changes currently planned would not have an actual impact on any individual's pension entitlement before we know the true size of the deficit, we will suspend industrial action immediately.

“Our sister union, Bectu, with whom we represent over 10,000 of the BBC’s 17,000 employees, share our insistence that should the deficit turn out to be less than £1.5bn, the BBC must talk again or face industrial action. It is therefore madness to force through changes now, based on figures that may turn out to be over-inflated.”

• In an email to staff, BBC director-general Mark Thompson ruled out new talks with the NUJ. He said: "We have already reached a final position with four out of five of the BBC unions. We cannot and will not enter fresh negotiations or contemplate fresh changes to the agreed offer on pension reform no matter how much industrial action there is from the NUJ."

Dear attacks PM over 'delicious' BBC cuts claim

NUJ general secretary Jeremy Dear has hit out at Prime Minister David Cameron for describing cuts at the BBC as "delicious".

Cameron, in response to a question on the EU budget from Newsnight's Michael Crick, stated: "We’re all in it together, including, deliciously, the BBC, who in another negotiation agreed a licence fee freeze for six years. So what is good for the EU is good for the BBC.”

Dear told the Telegraph today: "“David Cameron’s comments, revelling in the prospect of people losing their jobs and services being axed, are crass and insensitive. They appear to betray his real feelings about the BBC. He’s happy to hand over more money to the EU while cutting resources to one of our most important national institutions.”

NUJ leader predicts 'no' vote by BBC members

NUJ general secretary Jeremy Dear has predicted union members at the BBC will vote ‘No' in the consultative ballot on the new pension proposals and strike action would become “inevitable” unless management revisited its latest offer.

Dear also warned expected cuts of up to 25% at the BBC World Service, the closure of services and on-going job cuts caused by a freeze in licence fee funding would lead to “more disputes, strikes and a growing sense of discontent”.

He said: “The BBC’s latest pension proposals are the result of months of tough negotiations but the fact is they remain unfair and unacceptable to a majority of staff. Thousands of staff are expected to pay more for less and to work longer for the privilege. With the prospect of pensions being devalued by tens of thousands of pounds it is little wonder that the overwhelming mood at meetings is to reject and to campaign for a fairer pensions deal.

“Add to that anger the massive pay off Mark Byford has been given, the threat of job cuts and service closures at the World Service and the inevitable consequence that as a result of the funding freeze fewer staff will be expected to cut more corners to deliver BBC services and there is a real prospect of a winter of growing discontent”.

Ballot papers are being issued to around 10,000 union members tomorrow. The ballot will close on 28 October. Strikes scheduled for the 19 and 20 October have been postponed to allow for the ballot to take place but the NUJ said a 24-hour work to rule will take place on 22 October and the unions are to inform the BBC of a series of additional strike dates which may be activated in the event of a no vote in the consultative ballot.

BBC unions claim they've won key improvements

These are some of the key improvements broadcasting unions representing BBC staff claim to have won in the dispute over pensions and why next week's planned strike action, which could have blacked out part of the Tory party conference, has been called off.

• Reduce employee contributions in CAB 2011 [the proposed new career average pension scheme] from 7% to 6%.
  
• The lower of CPI and 4% for pensions in payment in CAB 2011.
  
• The lower of CPI and 4% for revaluation in CAB 2011.
  
• Redundancy measures: The new proposals also include important new measures to provide staff facing compulsory redundancy with time to identify alternative employment in the BBC.
  
• Pay review : On the 2010/11 pay review, the proposals restate the earlier offer – a £475 flat rate increase applicable to all staff earning up to £37,726 – and confirm the intention to backdate payment to 1 August 2010.
• A commitment to revisit elements of the pension reform proposals in the event the pension deficit in the April 2010 valuation (to be finalised and communicated no later than 30 June 2011) falls and stays below £1billion (before pension reform changes are factored in).

NUJ general secretary Jeremy Dear (top) said: "Given the outrage the BBC's pensions proposals have caused, which staff have consistently viewed as a pensions robbery, we're obviously pleased that the BBC have seen fit to table an improved offer, rather than face strike action. Clearly, the determination of staff at the BBC to fight to defend their pensions has forced a rethink on the part of the BBC's management."

• After further consultation with the BBC next week, the unions will run consultative ballots amongst their members to decide whether the improved offer is sufficient to resolve the long running dispute. Plans for the strikes scheduled on 19 and 20 October will be reviewed once members have voted.

Dear says BBC pension strike dates not 'political'

NUJ general secretary Jeremy Dear (pictured) claimed today there was no political motive behind the broadcasting unions selecting strike dates, in their dispute with the BBC over pensions, which could black out coverage of next week's Tory party conference.

His statement followed a letter sent to the NUJ by BBC News presenters and political journalists, including Huw Edwards, Jeremy Paxman, Martha Kearney, Jim Naughtie, Carolyn Quinn, Michael Crick, and Nick Robinson, expressing "serious concerns" that the strike action during the conference "risks looking unduly partisan" and would undermine the BBC's reputation for impartiality.

Dear said:" Quite rightly, the focus of staff anger at the BBC remains the proposal to undermine people's pensions, earned through hard work over many years. These damaging proposals mean staff will pay significantly more for worse benefits or face a cap on pensionable pay of 1%.

"When NUJ members were asked for their views on these plans, 97% of them voted to take industrial action if an agreed settlement could not be reached. Strike action is always a last resort. NUJ members are responsible individuals and do not take such decisions lightly. Our position has always been that we wish to negotiate in a mature way to resolve the BBC's deficit at the appropriate time.

"However, despite our best efforts, the BBC has repeatedly rejected this position and left members with no choice but to take action to defend their pensions from attack. Strike dates were set by joint union reps from across the BBC, representing the views of thousands of members. Since these dates were fixed, officials have held meetings at all major BBC sites.

"Hundreds of members have attended and endorsed the decision to take action on 5th, 6th and 19th and 20th October if the BBC was not prepared to properly address their concerns. The selection of specific dates was not a political act. The dates were chosen by elected reps because they are major broadcast events and for no other reason.

"Tomorrow elected reps will meet again in London to agree next steps. The issue of strike dates will be openly debated at this meeting and a democratic agreement reached. Finally, we remain committed to reaching a negotiated settlement with the BBC and know that members will support us, through strike action if necessary, in doing this."

NUJ alarm at police seizure of journalist's mobile

The NUJ has expressed alarm at the actions of the Police Service of Northern Ireland in confiscating a mobile phone belonging to Derry-based freelance journalist Eamonn MacDermott.
Irish Secretary Séamus Dooley said the decision to confiscate the phone represents a threat to the confidentiality of journalistic sources and was viewed with concern by journalists throughout Ireland and the UK.
NUJ general secretary Jeremy Dear condemned the PSNI move. In a statement he said: "Eamonn MacDermott is an established freelance journalist working in Northern Ireland, covering sensitive stories and with a wide range of contacts. The seizure of his phone and the accessing of his phone records by the police is another attack on the right of journalist to operate in Northern Ireland.
"The right to protect confidential sources of information is compromised when police act in this way and we take this action very seriously. Just as we supported the right of Suzanne Breen to protect her sources we protect the right of Eamonn MacDermott."

NUJ leader Jeremy Dear warns: 'Government training cuts will make journalism more elitist'

There has been concern for some time that journalism is becoming an increasingly middle class profession as it is only those with wealthy parents who can afford training courses and do unpaid work experience.
Now NUJ general secretary Jeremy Dear has warned on his blog that things are about to get more difficult for would be journalists.
Dear notes: "Submissions to the previous Government's Panel on Fair Access to the Professions showed that more than two-thirds of those entering journalism now came from households where the main wage earner worked in a professional or senior managerial occupation. Under 10 per cent of new entrants came from a working class background, with just three per cent coming from homes headed by semi or unskilled workers."
He writes: "Now things are set to get worse. Government cuts mean lecturers are being sacked and subsidies for courses being withdrawn. The NCTJ pre-entry course at Warwickshire College is to close. The withdrawal of subsidies meant the course fees more than doubled to £3700 and unsurprisingly too few students signed up. The only NCTJ-accredited photojournalism course at Sheffield was also facing closure but has been reprieved, but only at the expense of increased fees.
"The government talks of social mobility - but its cuts are having the exact opposite effect. It is bad enough with the lack of enforcement of the National Minimum Wage allowing employers to get away with exploiting new entrants and breaking the law without students from poorer backgrounds being priced out before they even begin."

Protest over Daily Express gay asylum coverage

NUJ general secretary Jeremy Dear and his deputy, Michelle Stanistreet, are among those who have signed a letter in the Guardian today condemning coverage in the Daily Express and Daily Mail of the Supreme Court decision to prevent the deportation of two gay asylum seekers.
The letter, signed by other union leaders and MPs, says they will be protesting outside the offices of the Daily Express today. The protest is from 5pm to 6.30pm.

NUJ condemns 'savage' job cuts at Mirror and says they are a warning to all journalists in newspapers

The NUJ has condemned plans to axe 200 jobs at the Mirror, Sunday Mirror and The People and says it will discuss a plan of action with union reps from across the Trinity Mirror group.
It has also claimed that the cuts should serve as a warning to all newspaper journalists of the impact new editorial content management systems could have on jobs.
NUJ general secretary Jeremy Dear said:"It’s disgraceful that against a background of making more than £70m in profit last year and of paying millions in remuneration to a handful of Trinity mirror execs, the company should now throw more than a quarter of its talented, hardworking workforce onto the scrap heap.
"Sly Bailey’s assurance that no more redundancies were planned has been shown to be a blatant lie. A ‘multi-media future’ without talented, multi-media journalists is a short cut to disaster.
“This savage package of redundancies is also a stark warning to editorial staff at national, regional and local newspapers all over the country, as they reveal the real, cost-cutting intent behind the introduction of content management systems such as Contentwatch, as used at the Trinity Mirror group and ATEX, as used across Johnston Press.
“We have organised a meeting of Trinity Mirror reps from across the group tomorrow afternoon (Friday) where we will devise a plan of action to defend jobs and quality journalism at these titles.”