12.10.09
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Some of Britain’s leading journalists have joined
a campaign to elect Mark Watts – freelance reporter, broadcaster and
FOIA Centre co-ordinator – as editor of the Journalist.
From across the media industry and throughout the UK and Ireland, journalists
are endorsing the bid by Watts in the editorship election. They have come
forward after he declared less than a fortnight ago that he was standing as
a candidate to take the helm of the magazine published by the national union
of journalists (NUJ) for its members.
They are led by top names from the worlds of national and provincial
newspapers, magazines, and television news, current affairs and documentaries.
Some are identified below and others in a separate
article.
Tim Llewellyn, the BBC’s Middle East corres-pondent
for 10 years and a highly regarded writer and broadcaster on the region, said:
“I have worked with Mark in broadcast journalism and found him to be
professional, imaginative and ruthless in pursuit of the story.
“He is experienced in all areas of our trade, especially that
sadly much-overlooked area these days of investigative journalism. Mark is
uniquely qualified to inject the Journalist with the new ideas and
concepts the publication badly needs in these perilous times for all journalism
– print, broadcast and web.”
Meanwhile, Jon Ungoed-Thomas, a reporter specialising
in investigations on The Sunday Times, said: “Mark has a well-established
reputation for breaking stories on national newspapers and television, and
using his investigative skills where others have been reluctant to tread.
“He is one of the journalists who spearheaded the use of freedom
of information laws – in this country and overseas. I welcome his plans
to continue the campaigning work of the Journalist, to strengthen
its news coverage and to increase its online profile.”
The former crime editor of the Sunday Express, Andrea
Perry, said: “I have known Mark Watts for a number of years
and know him to be a dedicated and determined professional who puts quality
journalism first.”
She continued: “Given the state of the industry, communication
is key to ensuring the future of journalism and that is why there needs to
be a fresh approach to engage with a changing journalistic audience.
“Mark’s broad experience in all areas of the media makes
him the ideal choice. He is meticulous and never shies away from fighting
for a better media.”
Bill Goodwin, the journalist at the centre of the
ground-breaking ‘sources’ case and who represents the NUJ’s
biggest victory to date for the journalistic cause, said: “Mark Watts
would make an outstand-ing editor for the Journalist. He has very
clear ideas how to improve the magazine and to make it a strong, campaigning
publication.”
Now news editor of Computer Weekly, Goodwin worked with Watts
to expose, for ITV’s The Big Story, The Sunday Telegraph,
The Times and The Engineer, how the only two people in the
UK jailed in the ‘arms to Iraq’ affair were victims of a set-up
by US and UK customs and intelligence officers. They were cleared on appeal
after the revelations.
Goodwin added: “Mark brings with him an unrivall-ed range of
experience and contacts across all parts of the media. He is an outstanding
investigative journalist, and a great defender of journalism and press freedom.”
Elena Cosentino, a television producer working mainly
on Panorama and other BBC programmes, formerly of CNN, said: “Mark
Watts is my ideal candidate for the Journalist editorship. A born
journalist, Mark would bring to the magazine the convictions and rigour of
a tenacious and uncompromising, investigative mind.”
“Most importantly, Mark is someone who truly walks the walk.
While a loyal and very active member of the NUJ, he has never shied away from
calling the NUJ leadership to account whenever he believed it may be slacking
or not fulfilling its duties to members.”
Cosentino was awarded £250,000 in a celebrated case for unfair
dismissal against CNN and, in a highly unusual judgement, also won costs at
employment tribunal against the broadcaster, leaving it with an additional
estimated £500,000 legal bill. She had to fight the case with her own
lawyers, after the NUJ failed to back her.
She added: “I have no doubts that he will raise the standards
of the magazine and encourage a healthy, free debate that will make the Journalist
more relevant, and NUJ members more passionate about the union.”
Fiona O'Cleirigh, a freelance television producer,
said: “The NUJ needs activists, but the job of editing its journal should
fall to someone who is, essentially, a journalist. Mark is an established
investigative journalist for print and television, a committed supporter of
union values, and a past father-of-chapel.”
She continued: “I have seen Mark march into a manager’s
office and demand – and achieve – the reinstatement of a colleague
who had been unfairly sacked just two minutes earlier. He can always be relied
upon to do what he considers to be the right thing, regardless of the personal
risk.”
Angus Young, local government reporter on the Hull
Daily Mail and its former father-of-chapel (FoC), worked with Watts at
the start of his career. He said: “I am pleased to endorse Mark Watts
in the forthcoming election. He cut his teeth as a trainee reporter in Hull
and even then demonstrated a passion and commitment to quality journalism.”
“I still tell the story about ringing him on the night of the
Lockerbie bombing when he was on the evening late shift at the Mail
just to make sure he had heard about it. He replied, ‘Don't worry, I've
got it all under control.’”
Many of these journalists, and others, have shown their support for
the Watts campaign by commenting on the Press Gazette website,
on www.holdthefrontpage.co.uk,
www.journalism.co.uk,
and a blog
by Jon Slattery, the former deputy editor of Press Gazette.
Watts said: “I am really grateful for the support
of these leading lights from across our industry, and from many other journalists
as well as some prominent NUJ figures.
“They are endorsing not just me, but more import-antly, my campaign
for an independent journalist
– as distinct from a propagandist or an activist – to be the new
editor of the Journalist.”
Ballot papers in the election for the Journalist editorship
were mailed last week and should be arriving with NUJ members over the next
few days, with the closing date for receipt of votes on November 6. The result
is due to be announced later that day.
The NUJ Manchester branch is holding election hustings for union members
on Thursday October 22.
Comment
on this article
More journalists
support election bid by Watts
Watts campaigns for independent
Journalist
FOIA
specialist in election for Journalist editorship
Journalistic background
of Mark Watts
Comments
on NUJ election (7)
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