29.09.09
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FOIA Centre co-ordinator Mark Watts was today named
as a candidate in the election to be the new editor of the Journalist
magazine.
Members of the national union of journalists (NUJ), which publishes
the magazine, will elect the editor to succeed Tim Gopsill, who is retiring
after holding the post for 21 years.
Watts said: “I am standing on the basis of making several fundamental
changes to the magazine, increasing its frequency; breaking more exclusive
stories about the media industry; and launching a proper website.
“My plan is for the Journalist to be agenda-setting,
as distinct from reviewing events. But I do want to maintain the strong features
that Tim has already been running in the magazine.”
On the FOIA Centre’s future, Watts said: “What-ever the
outcome of the election, clients of the FOIA Centre can be assured that it
will continue to perform its vital service on their behalf to unlock information
from public bodies. Clients can contact their usual FOIA consultant at the
FOIA Centre to discuss any on-going or future work in the same way as previously.”
Watts is one of Britain’s foremost experts in the freedom of
information act (FOIA) and other open-access laws, co-founding the FOIA Centre
in 2001.
He is the only one of eight candidates shortlisted by the NUJ’s
national executive council for the Journalist editorship with a strong
background in investigative
journalism, having spent many years working on several newspapers and television
current-affairs programmes such as World in Action.
In his election address for his bid to be elected as editor of the
Journalist, Watts writes: “I strongly believe in independent
journalism, and that must apply to what is published in the Journalist.
I would ensure that it keeps independent of the NUJ ‘leadership’
and serves journalists who belong to the NUJ.
“I believe that, like me, most NUJ members are less interested
in the machinations of union politics than the enormous issues facing us,
such as the devastation wreaked on our trade by savage cuts to resources by
media groups, or the state’s attempts to stifle journalism, or the future
direction of different parts of our industry. These are tumultuous times for
journalism, and I want the Journalist to help journalists steer through
them.”
In response to a short questionnaire put by the Journalist
editorial board, Watts writes: “I plan regular ‘freelance showcases’
for reporters/writers, photographers, broadcast journalists, and to keep ‘Our
Union Heroes’. The ‘showcases’ would give an overview of
the featured journalists and their work. I would also run regular ‘showcases’
of investigative journalism from any sector.”
NUJ members wanting to provide feedback on Watts’s election campaign
can contact him by sending an e-mail to the FOIA
Centre enquiries desk with, “FAO Mark Watts”, in the subject line.
The other seven candidates shortlisted by the NUJ were named today
as: Timothy Arnold, who is understood to be a freelance with broadcasting
experience; Christine Buckley, former industrial editor of The Times;
Michael William Cross, a freelance who writes for The Guardian; Frank
Morgan, Daily Record sub-editor; Richard Simcox, “NUJ Left”
candidate who edits another union magazine; Stephen David Tilley, Trinity
Mirror content editor; and Steven Usher, Daily Star father-of-chapel.
Ballot papers in the election for the Journalist editorship
were being mailed to NUJ members in early October, with the closing date for
receipt of votes on November 6. The result is due to be announced later that
day.
FOIA
Centre commentary
We at the FOIA Centre wish Tim all the best as he stands down from the
‘Journalist’ editorship, and we hope that he will still write
for the magazine after he retires.
Comment
on this article
Journalistic
background of Mark Watts
Comments
on Journalist election (7)
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