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NUJ claims media exploits young workers
DATELINE: 22/4/08
A survey of journalism student placements among various media outlets in the UK has found that over 50 per cent of them took place after the students had gained their qualifications. It has prompted the National Union of Journalists - which conducted the survey - to declare that "media companies are breaking the law by using bogus work experience placements to cover full-time jobs".
The union says it is writing to companies warning them it will name organisations refusing to take action.
The survey also found that one-in-five people who did post-qualification work experience undertook a placement for three months or more, with some working for more than six months unpaid.
And that, of those people who had material published or broadcast, 78 per cent received no payment for their work.
More than half of the survey respondents felt that they didn't get enough support or guidance during their placements.
Says NUJ General Secretary, Jeremy Dear: "This isn't work experience, it's exploitation. We're all in favour of students getting a feel for life in a newsroom, but in many cases companies are just looking for free labour.
"Demanding that people put in months of work for free doesn't help companies find the best journalists, it helps them find the ones that can afford to put in the hours without pay.
"Even those able to work for free are often getting poor quality experience. Some are given purely administrative tasks and get no editorial work at all, whilst others are expected to churn out professional material without getting any training from experienced staff."
The survey is part of a major campaign by the union to tackle the unfair ways in which medi businesses are using work experience placements to exploit newly qualified and student journalists.
Jeremy Dear added: "Organisations can't go on treating newly qualified journalists as a lower class of worker to which they have no responsibilities. We will continue to campaign for employers and government to bring an end to this damaging exploitation."
Last modified: Wednesday, May 21, 2008
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Events & Announcements
World Press Freedom Day
More reporters are currently imprisoned in Turkey than in any other country in the world. Only a matter of weeks ago lawyers failed to persuade a Turkish court to release a 76-year-old journalist from a Turkish internet news station.
World Press Freedom Day on Friday May 3, 2013 is being marked in Britain by a rally to highlight the dangers facing journalists in Turkey and in this podcast, Nicholas Jones speaks to Barry White, Organiser at the Campaign for Press and Broadcasting Freedom, and Sam Bamford, the TUC's policy officer for Eastern Europe and Africa about the importance of a campaign to highlight international press freedom.
The World Press Freedom Day rally is being staged by the National Union of Journalists at the NUJ head office, Gray’s Inn Road, London WC1 on Thursday May 2, 6pm-8pm.
DATELINE: 27/4/13
UK launch of EU media campaign
DATELINE: 13/3/13
The UK launch of a 'European Citizens' Initiative' calling for EU rules against concentration of media power will take place on Thursday March 21 from 11:00am – 12:30pm in Committee Room 4A at the House of Lords, London. Guest speakers will include actor and activist Hugh Grant (pictured), media consultant Claire Enders, Professor Steven Barnett, Barry McCall (President of the NUJ) and Marc Gruber (Director of the European Federation of Journalists).
A European Citizens' Initiative is an official petition, like a Downing Street petition. If it succeeds in gathering a million signatures across the EU, the Commission is obliged to respond.
This petition calls for the EU to act to protect media pluralism and press freedom.
CPBF Annual General Meeting
DATELINE: 1/3/13
Make a note in your diary
Saturday 13 July 2013 from 10.00am
NUJ HQ, 308/312 Gray's Inn Road, London WC1.
Leveson, media ownership, CPBF future work.
DOWNLOAD FREEPRESS NOW
DATELINE: 26/3/10
Download Freepress in PDF, ePub or mobi format. Issue 194 now available.
MEDIA FOR ALL CONFERENCE
DATELINE: 26/3/10
Papers from the Media for All Conference
MEDIA MANIFESTO
DATELINE: 26/3/10
The media’s job is to inform and entertain us but we rely on them too to tell us what our rulers and representatives are up to. In the run-up to the Iraq war the government used spin and disinformation in the media to create panic and mislead people. The truth is coming out now, but we need stronger, more independent media to be able to scrutinise governments and make informed choices.
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Previous stories
Journalism Theory & Practice
The poor, the unions and the media
Media freedom in Europe under threat
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New threats to media freedom
Countdown to media freedom conference with Alan Johnston
Lords hear case for journalism
Regulation under the spotlight
Paul Foot award 2007
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Beyond the veil
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