Online plans

[juditht]

Hi, I'm interested to know how you plan to develop The Journalist's online offering, in terms of news content and campaign information for members, and non-members? How do you plan to use the website to offer support and guidance for journalists?

[Mark Watts]

I want to establish a website for the Journalist that journalists use habitually whenever they are at their computers.

I believe that the Journalist should have its own distinct website under the editorial control of the editor, rather than being, in effect, a branch of the NUJ site. This is an issue that is due to be debated at the union’s next annual delegate meeting (ADM) in November, so this is a decision for that body rather than the editor.

The Journalist and NUJ websites should, of course, link to each other very prominently. For practical reasons it may well be best for them to be hosted at the same place, but I would urge ADM to agree that the Journalist should have a distinct site, which includes having a distinct web address.

I would draw on the union’s members and officials to help break exclusive stories on – and provide insightful, instant analysis into – big media issues and campaigns. The mass media tends to overlook the views and opinions of trade union leaders/officials, including, sure enough, the NUJ. I see the website as helping to force the perspective of working journalists onto the mass media’s agenda. I am frequently used as a media commentator by BBC News, Sky News, etc, so I hope I would be able to contribute specifically to that effort as well.

The printed Journalist would be complementary to the website, publishing news-features that provide more insight into big stories already broken by the mag’s site, and publishing slightly longer analysis pieces than would be appropriate online.

I would draw on a wide range of NUJ officials/members to help gradually build up an online database of user-guides, on anything from tax advice to journalistic ethical issues. I believe that NUJ members would find it really useful if the Journalist provided such material directly relevant to their work.

I also see the potential for the website to provide a forum for debate, particularly as a route for members who are not especially involved in NUJ politics to provide feedback to officials.

I plan regular “freelance showcases” for reporters/writers, photographers, broadcast journalists – one of each, for every edition of the print magazine. The idea is to give an overview of the featured journalists and their work.

I also plan regular “showcases” of investigative journalism from any sector. I intend gradually to build an online database of all these “showcases”.

This would bring a greater variety of “faces” to the magazine – print and online. I also think that the “showcases” would really help freelances win more work.

I intend the website to include video/audio content. This might include video interviews with NUJ officials/members as appropriate, or even audio discussion programmes, featuring NUJ officials/members as appropriate in particular. Although my background is as a newspaper journalist, I have worked as a television presenter, fronting discussion programmes specifically about the media industry. I also have a good deal of current-affairs television production experience. Nonetheless, ambitions on video/audio content will plainly be limited by available resources. There is significant cost, for example, to hosting a webcasting facility on a website, as distinct from hosting a YouTube video. The latter looks less professional, but it might be the better option, depending on resources.

As I say in response to another question on this forum, my intention is to provide NUJ members with free access to the Journalist website, while non-members could subscribe. Non-members would see some material for free, such as headlines and intros on the homepage, but they would have to subscribe to see the text of the articles. Of course, if they are journalists, they could become NUJ members to gain free access. I believe that this would encourage them to join the union.

While the media industry struggles to find a way to make the internet pay, let us see whether we at the NUJ can lead the way. Any such revenue raised would be used to strengthen the magazine further.

[John Thompson]

So, to summarise:

• Publish online first, print second (with more features in the latter)
• An online forum
• Lots of contributions from officials and members
• Showcasing freelancers
• Online audio/video content.
• Subscription access to online content for non-members

On another forum, the issue of available resources has been raised, so my questions are:

• If online and print are to be two distinct operations, is that not twice the work?
• If the forum is lively and busy, isn't that a lot of moderation work?
• Will you be paying NUJ rates or are you hoping for free contributions from officials and members?
• Audio/video - isn't that an additional labour overhead for post-production?
• Will subscription fees really fund all the above? Or will you be asking for more money from NUJ members? What if the subscription model fails?

[Mark Watts]

To dotjeditor, on your summary, the idea is, in general, to break stories online. Aside from an array of general features, I would then run news-features related to stories broken online, providing more insight in the printed version.

I have not said that online and print would be distinct from each other. On the contrary, under my plans, they would be complementary. I said that I would want the Journalist website to be distinct from the NUJ website.

What I am proposing amounts to a complete overhaul. This would have to be done in stages. I envisage being able to turn the printed mag into an agenda-setting publication from my first issue. It would be independent of the NUJ leadership or any other entity: that happens overnight.

On past evidence, the website will not happen so quickly. The NUJ already has policy, as passed at ADM, for the Journalist to have, words to the effect of, a visible daily online presence. My understanding is that resources have not yet been made available to put this policy into effect.

ADM in November is due to discuss the issue of whether the Journalist has a separate website from the NUJ. I would work with whatever the outcome of that discussion will be.

Besides my background in newspapers, I have worked as a television producer/presenter/interviewer. So, I would be able to carry out the bulk of the video/audio work necessary, for example, to produce and present video interviews. I have, however, never been a fan of the output of one-person video-journalists. It never looks that professional. Of course, hiring a lighting cameraman for a day would cost. As I said, there would also be costs associated with hosting a webcasting facility on a website. As I also said, ambitions on video/audio content will plainly be limited by available resources.

For me, the first stage is to be clear about my intentions. So far as online is concerned, my clear plan is entirely in line with existing NUJ policy. Were I to be elected, it would be a distinctly odd NEC that did not provide the resources to put into effect NUJ policy as passed by ADM coupled with a new editor’s mandate. It has to be a priority.

Of course, not all relevant decisions rest in the editor’s hands.

Regarding the forum, there is much debate about whether moderating online comments can cause more legal problems than not moderating them. In any event, I think that it would be impractical to have un-moderated comments.

I anticipate that the resources would not allow for comments to be moderated constantly and posted immediately. They would have to, in effect, be heavily moderated by the editor. In other words, I envisage having to treat them in a similar way to letters for the letters section of the printed mag. As our esteemed mag has learnt to its cost just recently, libels can lurk especially dangerously in letters.

On rates, as a freelance contributor to the mag, I know that existing policy is to pay NUJ rates to freelances. I intend to maintain that. But I would hope to draw on officials to write about subjects with which they are familiar, solely for the beautiful honour of having their name in lights in, no less, the Journalist. I expect to be able to attract other contributors to write for free. It just requires a bit of imagination. For example, right now, I would ask a leading libel lawyer, eg Geoffrey Robertson, to write a piece on how he thinks the Commons select committee examining reform of libel law is doing.

Although NUJ subscription fees are not a matter for the editor, they should not rise to cover additional costs for the Journalist. As it happens, I think the NUJ needs to explore looking to reduce its fees. Plenty of journalists are put off joining because of what they regard as the high subs. I am confident that offering subscription/sales of the Journalist to non-NUJ members could raise a significant contribution to the costs of developing the magazine.

In addition, you will see from my answers to the editorial board, which accompanied the ballot papers, that I have plans for the Journalist to run journalist awards, which has the potential to raise significant revenue for the mag as well as increase its profile. The idea is to have categories for various types of journalist. I cannot go into much detail on these plans at this early stage for obvious reasons of commercial confidentiality.

[John Thompson]

Thank you very much for that detailed clarification Mark, that's very helpful.

Not everyone here has access to the material that accompanied the ballot papers though (or has had time to read it), so if there is anything else you want to summarise here that is contained therein, please feel free to do so.

[Richard Simcox]

A new Journalist website hosted on a simple blog template that can provide opportunities for new and regular columns, news and analysis.

Use social media for what it's good at - e.g. Twitter for promoting new online content, linking to campaigning material, generating buzz etc; and Facebook for more of the same and developing a sense of community.

I would consider message boards to help NUJ members talk to each other more securely, and to exchange tips and tactics etc, but it wouldn't be an initial priority.

The first six months of the job will be very busy, and setting up a viable and vibrant website will be the first task - an essential task, to provide a platform from which to launch everything else.

[SteveUsher1]

Breaking news online. Following campaigns online. Updates on disputes online. Advice for everyone working in journalism online. Features on journalists and trade unionists making a difference to journalism and the industry in general - in print.

[TimArnold]

My plans are clear.

First, I would give every member their own sectoral magazine, in pdf format, which would also be available on the website (in the members only section).

Secondly, I would do regular webcasts in both sound and video. I would hope to do five a week, on average. I believe that I am the only candidate who demonstrably has ALL (not some of) the craft skills in video and audio production necessary to make such a commitment.

It's important to look at the reality of the situation. There will be no resources to hire in lighting camera operators, as another candidate has suggested. That's why it's important to look at the demonstrable craft skills of the journalists who seek the job.

As I mentioned in the Manchester hustings, I could, within an hour, interview, say, the F/MoC of a paper, on a picket line, and have the interview - as live - put on the website within an hour. Others may claim, belatedly, that they could do that as well. I am not so sure.

I am proud of my track record in this area, having been a consultant to Amicus and Unite unions in putting their webcasts on the internet.

Another point made at the hustings was "anyone can learn these skills on the job."

Er... yes. But that would take time. The current webcasts are amateurish, and embarrassing to a union whose members take pride in their own professional skills. The NUJ website is not a training ground. We need someone who can hit the ground running from day one.

Candidates who only have experience of text journalism are deftly dancing round this important issue. I think the NUJ is the best union in the world. It deserves world-quality multi-media content, not least to remain credible. I am the only candidate with all the necessary craft skills to deliver. From day one.

Tim Arnold

[Mark Watts]

The production values of video content produced by a one-person team would not meet the high standards that I think are required. Because of my television experience working with network-quality production values, I would be able to do a proper, professional job.

In filming interviews, I am able to carry out the lighting camera work myself as well conduct the interview, but this can never deliver the best production values. So, for example, I could hire a lighting camera operator for a day or half-day, and this would cost low hundreds of pounds. However, I would schedule and film a series of, say, 20 interviews with different NUJ figures in a full day, on a variety of relevant on-going subjects, so that I would have a bank of video material to upload over a period (ie not all in one day).

As I said, there would also be costs associated with hosting a webcasting facility on a website.

So, there will be some, limited costs associated with a professional production. As I have set out in my answers to the short Journalist questionnaire sent to voters, and as I have explained in a different thread, I would raise extra revenue for the magazine to fund these marginal additional costs. This is partly down to my plans for the Journalist to run journalist awards, which has the potential to raise significant revenue for the mag as well as increase its profile.

As I have said, I am confident that offering subscription/sales of the Journalist to non-NUJ members would also raise a significant contribution to the costs of developing the magazine.

[christinexbuckley]

The Journalist online should complement the NUJ's website. We need to increase our efforts across multi media operations in ways we can afford. There are effective ways of engaging people online as we all know. The Journalist and its contributors should be blogging and operating online forums along with twitter and facebook. But we need to do it in a joined up way across the NUJ's online presence so one part isn't competing unnecessarily against another. And of course we should break stories online and, importantly, encourage members to read them. The NUJ's website is not used by a very large proportion of the members. We need to bring more people onto the union's website and the Journalist online if our efforts at producing multi media are to be effective.

[Richard Simcox]

Judith

You are right to talk in your question about spreading campaigns beyond NUJ members. We need to reach readers, viewers, listeners, and sympathisers in other unions and movements.

That's why I advocated a social media campaign for the INN journalists in Ireland:
http://richsimcox.co.uk/news/get-online-for-ireland/

And the idea that was taken up a few days later:
http://richsimcox.co.uk/news/online-campaign-for-radio-journalists-after-richard’s-call/

I agree with Christine about driving hits to the Journalist and NUJ websites. I believe one of the ways of doing this is covering the inspirational activities of as wide a range of NUJ members as possible. I have tried to do this on my campaign website:
http://richsimcox.co.uk/news/

Don't forget, NUJ members now have until 16 November to vote.

Best wishes
 
Rich