15.10.09
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EXCLUSIVE by
Fiona O'Cleirigh
Channel 4 News presenter Jon Snow came out in support
of FOIA specialist Mark Watts to be elected editor of the Journalist
magazine.
He decided to endorse Watts because of his anger over what he sees
as the politicisation of the national union of journalists (NUJ), which publishes
the Journalist for its members.
Watts is standing on the basis of ensuring that the Journalist
is independent – of the NUJ leadership or any other entity – and
becomes an agenda-setting magazine aimed at serving only the union’s
members.
In a message sent via the FOIA Centre website, Snow said: “I
support the Watts campaign. It is time members voted for a truly independent
journalists’ union.”
The sensational intervention by the Channel 4 News newscaster, who
has been the face of the programme since 1989, puts him in a growing group
of eminent journalists from the UK and Ireland who are backing a campaign
to elect Mark Watts – freelance reporter, broadcaster as well as the
FOIA Centre co-ordinator – as editor of the Journalist.
They have come forward since Watts declared a fortnight ago that he
was standing as a candidate to take the helm of the magazine and ensure its
independence. This contrasts with other candidates who lined up endorsement
quotes before knowing who was running in the election.
In two
separate articles
on Monday, we named, and published comments from, several top journal-ists
from across the media industry and throughout the UK and Ireland who have
decided to endorse the bid by Watts in the editorship election. They include
journalists from national and provincial newspapers, magazines, and television
news, current affairs and documentaries.
Since then, further leading journalists have also come out to endorse
the Watts campaign this week, including another of Snow’s previous reporter
colleagues on Channel 4 News, Mark
Lloyd, and a former BBC political
correspondent.
Watts is campaigning for the new editor of the Journalist
to be a journalist at heart – not an “activist”. He is a
former co-father-of-chapel, adding: “But, fundamentally, I am about
journalism rather than trade unionism.”
He is running in the election for the post, to be decided in a postal
ballot of NUJ members, because he thinks that only he out of eight shortlisted
candidates can offer the clear vision of an independent, agenda-setting magazine
that focuses on key industry issues.
But it has proved a controversial stance at the NUJ’s head office
in Headland House, and it is the big debating point in the election.
Many key figures in the union’s leadership assoc-iated with the
“NUJ Left” “coalition”
argue that the
Journalist should drive a political “activist” agenda.
Snow made clear that he supports the stance on this issue taken by
Watts.
The Channel 4 news anchor also urged NUJ members to vote in the editorship
election to help ensure that the outcome reflects the true wishes of the membership.
Leading figures in the NUJ who are not part of the “NUJ Left”
network estimated that it can deliver up to 400 votes, and only 1,000 members
are expected to post their ballots in the election, less than 4% of the NUJ
membership.
Meanwhile, Snow also revealed in a telephone conversation with our
reporter that he quit the NUJ last year because of what he regards as the
politic-isation of the union. He said: “I was peeved over the boycott
of Israel despite my strong Palestinian sympathies. I did not like being told
what to think by my union.”
Snow was one of several high-profile journalists who condemned the
NUJ over a resolution passed at the annual delegate meeting (ADM) in 2007
concerning a call to boycott Israeli goods and services.
At the time of the controversy, Snow said: “I am completely outraged
that the union that I joined, and remain a member of to protect and work for
the interest of journalists, should take such a high-horse position on a private
issue for countries and individuals themselves.”
But the “stop the NUJ boycott” campaign was then successful
later that year after the NUJ’s national executive council decided to
take “no further action” on implementing the resolution because
the trades union congress had rejected the call for action.
In 2004, Snow also condemned the NUJ leader-ship for trying to set
up a political fund, a move that was rejected in a ballot of all members despite
complaints about wildly unbalanced coverage in the Journalist.
Snow told us that he had been an NUJ member for 33 years, but had become
disillusioned with the union, saying: “I left the NUJ over the absurd
Israel boycott concocted by another union clique.”
Watts said: “I think that Jon has shown courage by making these
comments given the bruising experience he has had previously when trying to
talk some sense into the NUJ hierarchy.
“I am certain that NUJ members would be interest-ed to hear the
views of Jon and other senior journalists who have backed my campaign. Jon's
insight would certainly make one feature worth read-ing in a future edition
of the Journalist.
“However, at the end of the day, only the NUJ members matter,
and they have to decide for themselves how to vote. Before doing so, they
really should look through the material from all the candidates enclosed with
the ballot papers.
“They should not assume that the intervention of such high-profile
figures as Jon Snow on behalf of my campaign will mean that the result is
guaranteed. This is absolutely an open race. There is clear choice. And its
outcome will depend, above all, on turnout.
“I hope that every NUJ member heeds the clear call of Jon –
and other journalists cited on the FOIA Centre’s website – to
vote in this editorship elect-ion. Please do not leave it to a few hundred
mem-bers of a political faction who have pulled far away from where the vast
majority of members are.”
Many journalists have also shown their support for the Watts campaign
by commenting on the Press Gazette website,
on www.holdthefrontpage.co.uk,
www.journalism.co.uk,
on one
of two
blog postings by Jon Slattery, the former deputy editor of Press Gazette,
as well as on the NUJ site.
Ballot papers in the election for the Journalist editorship
have been arriving with NUJ members since the beginning of October, 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 hustings for union members on
Thursday October 22.
Fiona
O’Cleirigh is a researcher, journalist and television producer. She
has declared her supp-ort for the Watts
campaign. She is also a member of the NUJ’s London freelance branch.
Comment
on this article
Former BBC political
reporter supports Watts
Top journalists back
Watts election campaign
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 Journalist election (7)
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