Tag Archives: pensions

Journalisted Weekly: (More) Wimbledon, pensions, Greece riots, and DSK

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Journalisted is an independent, not-for-profit website built to make it easier for you, the public, to find out more about journalists and what they write about. It is run by the Media Standards Trust, a registered charity set up to foster high standards in news on behalf of the public, and funded by donations from charitable foundations.Each week Journalisted produces a summary of the most covered news stories, most active journalists and those topics falling off the news agenda, using its database of UK journalists and news sources. 

(More) Wimbledon, pensions, Greece riots, & DSK

for the week ending Sunday 3 July

  • Greece, pensions strikes and DSK grip headlines
  • Wimbledon courts attention on back pages
  • Bombs in Nigeria, and pharmacy drug shortages, covered little

Covered lots

  • Week two at Wimbledon, with Novak Djokovic winning the men’s and Petra Kvitová winning the women’s finals, each for the first time, 1,329 articles
  • The public-sector pensions strikes last Thursday, with 750,000 reportedly not going to work and more than 3,000 schools closing in England and Wales, 283 articles
  • Greece’s financial crisis, with clashes between protesters and riot police in Athens as Greek parliament votes in favour of austerity measures, 145 articles
  • Dominique Strauss-Kahn released without bail, as the case of sexual assault against him nearly collapsed, 135 articles

Covered little

Political ups and downs (top ten by number of articles)

Celebrity vs serious

Arab spring (countries & current leaders)

Who wrote a lot about…’pensions’

Polly Curtis – 8 articles (The Guardian), Andrew Sparrow – 7 articles (The Guardian), Jason Beattie – 6 articles (The Mirror), Andrew Grice – 6 articles (The Independent), Patrick Wintour – 5 articles (The Guardian), Kevin Schofield – 5 articles (The Sun), Macer Hall – 5 articles (The Express)

Long form journalism

More from the Media Standards Trust

Visit the Media Standards Trust’s new site Churnalism.com – a public service for distinguishing journalism from churnalism.
Churnalism.com ‘explore’ page is available for browsing press release sources alongside news outlets
The Media Standards Trust’s unofficial database of PCC complaints is available for browsing at www.complaints.pccwatch.co.uk

For the latest instalment of Tobias Grubbe, journalisted’s 18th century jobbing journalist, go to journalisted.com/tobias-grubbe

Journalisted weekly: Royal Ascot, Greek crisis, tennis, pensions

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Journalisted is an independent, not-for-profit website built to make it easier for you, the public, to find out more about journalists and what they write about.

It is run by the Media Standards Trust, a registered charity set up to foster high standards in news on behalf of the public, and funded by donations from charitable foundations.

Each week Journalisted produces a summary of the most covered news stories, most active journalists and those topics falling off the news agenda, using its database of UK journalists and news sources.

for the week ending Sunday 19 June

Covered lots

  • Royal Ascot, the big annual race meeting, plus a drunken brawl, 303 articles
  • Greece’s financial crisis, with anti-austerity riots in Athens and Prime Minister George Papandreou offering to step down or form a unity government, 158 articles
  • Andy Murray wins the AEGON tournament at Queen’s tennis club, the week before Wimbledon, 141 articles
  • The row over public sector pensions, with Danny Alexander announcing a rise in retirement age to 66 and quarter of a million workers threatening strike action, 119 articles

Covered little

Political ups and downs (top ten by number of articles)

Celebrity vs serious

Arab spring (countries & current leaders)

Who wrote a lot about…’US Open’

Neil Squires – 15 articles (the Express), James Corrigan – 12 articles (The Independent), David Facey – 12 articles (The Sun), Lawrence Donegan – 11 articles (The Observer), Mark Garrod – 11 articles (The Scotsman), Oliver Brown – 10 articles (Telegraph), Kevin Garside – 20 articles (Telegraph), Peter Dixon – 9 articles (The Times)

Long form journalism

More from the Media Standards Trust

Visit the Media Standards Trust’s new site Churnalism.com – a public service for distinguishing journalism from churnalism

Churnalism.com ‘explore’ page is available for browsing press release sources alongside news outlets

The Media Standards Trust’s unofficial database of PCC complaints is available for browsing at www.complaints.pccwatch.co.uk

For the latest instalment of Tobias Grubbe, journalisted’s 18th century jobbing journalist, go to journalisted.com/tobias-grubbe

NUJ: More strife for Newsquest as four more NUJ centres vote to strike

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Protests at Newsquest-owned titles across the country continue this week as members of the National Union of Journalists at four more centres vote in favour of strike action.

According to a release from the NUJ today, members at Newsquest Blackburn, Bradford, Bolton and York have all voted for indsutrial action.

The new votes follow two days of strike action carried out by members at the Brighton Argus and Southern Daily Echo this week, the second round of industrial action for both titles.

Union members are taking action against a continuing pay freeze, redundancies and closure of the pension scheme to future accrual.

More than 90 per cent of members at Newsquest Bradford voted in favour of strike action in a recent ballot while all voters supported action short of a strike, the release adds.

All NUJ members who took part in the ballot at Newsquest Blackburn have voted overwhelmingly for strike action and action short of a strike. NUJ members at Newsquest Bolton have also voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action.

… NUJ members at Newsquest York today voted overwhelmingly for strike action and action short of a strike.

According to the release the newspaper titles within these centres includes:

  • Newsquest Bradford – Bradford Telegraph & Argus, Ilkley Gazette, Wharfedale & Airedale Observer, Craven Herald and the Keighley News.
  • Newsquest Bolton and Newsquest Blackburn – Bolton News and the Bury Times Group weekly series (the Bury Times, Radcliffe Times and The Guide covering Prestwich & Whitefield) and the Lancashire Telegraph, Burnley Citizen, Blackburn Citizen, Chorley Citizen, Bury Journal, Bolton Journal and Westmorland Gazette.
  • Newsquest York – the Press and the Gazette & Herald.

NUJ members at Newsquest Warrington as well as members at the Herald, Sunday Herald and Evening Times in Scotland have also voted to ballot for industrial action.

The NUJ parliamentary group this week launched an Early Day Motion in support of NUJ members at Newsquest, calling on the company to “enter into meaningful discussions with the union at all levels to resolve the disputes by protecting jobs and investing in journalism”.

Poynter: Memo from AP chief tells staff pension will be frozen

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Staff at the Associated Press were yesterday told via a memo from AP CEO Tom Curley that the company was proposing to freeze the defined benefit pension plan at its current level, according to a copy of the memo posted by Jim Romenesko on Poynter.

In the note Curley adds that any future company investment in the pension would be “directed toward a defined contribution plan”.

Since I came to AP I have strived to do everything possible to keep your pension plan intact. Unfortunately, industry and economic pressures mean this is no longer possible. Nearly all media companies, as well as more than half of Fortune 100 companies, have already frozen their defined benefit plans.

This was not an easy decision. Your pension and your well-being are very important to me. As we work through these changes, we will strive to find ways to maximize your retirement benefits. Within the next two days, you will be receiving more information about our proposal and the impact it might have. Once the negotiation process is concluded, we will make sure you have more detailed information as quickly as we can.

Hatip: Editor&Publisher

BBC pensions update – strike ballot result expected today

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BBC staff unions are expected to announce the result of a ballot for strike action later today, following pension proposals put forward by the broadcaster in June which could see the introduction of a one per cent cap on increases in pensionable salary and the closure of the final-salary scheme to new joiners.

In a blog post, NUJ general secretary Jeremy Dear says the union expects the results to show “a massive vote in favour of action”.

He adds that an announcement is expected to be made between 3:30pm and 4:00pm today. The BBC previously told Journalism.co.uk it would be making further proposals at the beginning of September following the backlash from its initial suggestions. Its 90-day consultation period closes later this month.

More to follow later this afternoon.

NUJ attacks Newsquest over proposed pension cuts

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The NUJ has spoken out against reported pension scheme cuts at Newsquest.

According to a report by the union, the scheme, which is already restricted to existing staff, could now be cut. Staff were apparently informed by letter over the weekend.

Journalism.co.uk has attempted to speak to Newsquest about the allegations, but has so far been unable to get a response and told those who can comment are unavailable.

The NUJ statement follows an ongoing dispute with the BBC over the broadcaster’s proposed changes to its pension scheme.