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Christmas break
Please note, the NUJ office is closed from 24 December to 2 January for the Christmas break. We hope you have a jolly holiday and wish you a Happy New Year.
Awards
Entries are open for the Amnesty Media Awards. There are 10 categories - including for written, broadcast, radio, and photo journalism - that recognise media workers' role in highlighting human rights abuses domestically and internationally. The deadline to apply is 26 January 2026 and the awards ceremony will be held at BFI Southbank next May. Apply here.
The Orwell Society/NUJ Young Journalist’s Award 2026 is now open for entries. The prestigious award, established to support the legacy of George Orwell, is open to those aged between 18 and 25 in the UK studying journalism or already starting out in their journalism career. There are two award categories - an arts review of your choice or a column on any political or social justice issue. Entries close on 31 March 2026. Apply here.
UK Early Day Motions - Lobby your MP
Ask your MP to sign EDM 2462: Professional integrity of BBC journalists. Tabled by Rebecca Long-Bailey, NUJ parliamentary group chair, this EDM calls for adequate funding for quality news provision, worker representation and no political appointees on the BBC board.
Ask your MP to sign EDM 2026: Proposed changes to STV News and STV North News at 6, calling for the company to engage meaningfully with trade unions and staff over plans, and for Ofcom to conduct an immediate review into how STV will meet regional broadcast licence obligations.
Ask your MP to sign EDM 1892: Job reductions at news publisher Reach plc, noting alarm at the detrimental impact on journalism and the use of artificial intelligence to replace journalists' jobs.
Ask your MP to sign EDM 1046: News journalism and artificial intelligence tools, urging the introduction of effective regulatory protections to protect the future of our media and creative industries. The motion calls for news reporters, photographers, broadcasters and other creatives to be properly remunerated and credited where their work is used as the basis for derivative content using artificial intelligence.
Campaigns
Stop the freelance rip-off. Thank you to all freelance members who responded to the UK government's consultation on late payments and poor practices. We've long-campaigned for improved terms and we will continue to lobby for improved payment terms. Read our latest piece.
Oppose the Reach cuts: Reach plc, the largest commercial news publisher in the UK and Ireland, plans to make hundreds of redundancies across editorial. Write to parliamentarians using our amendable template letter, highlighting the hugely detrimental impact the job cuts will have on journalists and journalism more broadly. Read more on the dedicated campaign page with NUJ calls. You can also support journalists at the company by sending a message of solidarity to [email protected]. On 22 October the union announced that members at The Mirror had voted in favour of strike action.
News Recovery Plan. A Future for News: the NUJ’s recovery plan for the news industry is the updated road map to reinvigorate the industry and sets out a bold set of measures and interventions to protect jobs and quality journalism. Its proposals address the threat of generative AI and the significant additional pressure of the cost-of-living crisis to an already beleaguered sector.
Artificial intelligence: journalism before algorithms. Stay updated on our AI campaign, including calls for urgent regulatory oversight to protect the integrity of journalism and journalists' rights. The NUJ has signed a letter to the prime minister seeking explanation for the failure to uphold copyright holders' rights, as AI continues to ingest millions of protected works without permission or payment.
#ShowUsTheMoney: the NUJ is campaigning for increased salary transparency. Too many job adverts do not include salary details, and research shows this disadvantages women, disabled workers and Black and minority ethnic workers. Find out more on our calls.
The NUJ is urging all members to use our online tool to raise concerns over the UK government's cuts to journalism education. We need your help amplifying our concerns over the government's withdrawal of Strategic Priorities Grant funding from journalism courses for the 2025-26 financial year. Use our template to write to your MP. Email [email protected] with queries; read more on our campaign page.
Journalist Safety Liaison Officers
JSLOs provide a single point of contact for journalists and employers on the specific issue of crimes against journalists. Each police force in the UK has a designated JSLO who can provide practical support to journalists facing abuse and threats. Members can now find their contact details on this page of the NUJ site (behind the membership login).
Journalists' Safety Tracker
The NUJ's Safety Tracker collates evidence of harassment, abuse and lawfare against journalists. Both freelance and staff journalists can make submissions using the online tool. Share it with colleagues to encourage its use and help inform our campaigns to tackle threats against journalists. Report an incident using the tracker.
Petitions
Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) have been used to stymie reporting and prevent publication of stories in the public interest. The NUJ recently welcomed the Scottish government's pledge to introduce legislation to combat SLAPPs.The UK Anti-SLAPP Coalition's petition urges a standalone Anti-SLAPP Law that offers universal, clear and easy-to-access protections against abusive legal threats. Add your name.
Social media
Keep up with the latest breaking news, campaigns, solidarity events and more from the NUJ campaigns team on X, Bluesky, Instagram and Facebook.
Online courses, workshops & webinars
NUJ trade union training dates for 2026: all course outlines and learning outcomes have been updated to reflect the new hybrid ways of working and the challenges this presents for organising members. The NUJ reps' training programme features a monthly two-hour session, which focuses on the structure and workings of the NUJ for new reps before they embark on the core reps' training. NUJ recruitment materials can be found on the website. The NUJ race reporting guide advises on covering stories relating to race in a way that is accurate and inclusive.
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NUJ Training Scotland. Courses are delivered by Zoom unless otherwise stated. Available for members outside Scotland. Go to the calendar and register for sessions on the NUJ Scotland training website. Upcoming sessions include a search engine optimisation (SEO) masterclass on 9 January.
NUJ Training Wales. Visit the Welsh training website for the events calendar (which is updated when courses become available) and access a huge range of at-a-glance guides on a wide range of topics for media professionals. This includes an upcoming session on using spreadsheets to analyse data (6 February).
The GFTU Educational Trust is running a year-long series of online educational sessions focusing on the significant role women have played in trade union and working class history. Register here.
TUC training, events & resources
On 14 January, the TUC will run a free webinar on the risks of workplace stress and how to take action. It will cover the causes of workplace stress and how it affects our health and wellbeing, the steps employers should be taking to prevent and manage workplace stress, and how reps can support members. Register here.
Combining efforts: 200 years of trade union history. A new exhibition by the LSE Library and TUC Library runs until 31 January in London. It traces some of the history of the development of trade unions through years of struggle, triumph, defeat, and resilience. Read more, including detail about a library tour.
TUC Education is the one-stop-shop for training and resources for reps and activists. All the TUC's resources, research, training and content on sexual harassment are available in one section on the TUC website. The TUC has also launched a new climate hub with resources, events and networks on how to take action in your workplace or industry.
You can also find:
- the recording from the TUC webinar for reps on the Equality Act 2010
- the generative AI policy toolkit
- a free toolkit on greener workplaces for a Just Transition
Research
Dr Rachel Matthews, BBC broadcaster and trainer Dr Julia Pau and former BBC broadcaster Clare Jenkins are recording the memories of those who’ve worked for local newspapers for an oral history of English local press. They are asking for volunteer interviewers, interviewee suggestions and memorabilia. The British Library National Life Stories Collection and Oral History Society are interested in housing some of the interviews to document these experiences. If you’d like to be involved, please contact [email protected], [email protected] or [email protected].
Sebastian Batt, a journalism student at the University of Lincoln, is investigating how the mental health of journalists can be impacted by experiencing or witnessing trauma in the line of work, whether in civilian or military settings. Sebastian has created this anonymous questionnaire for journalists who have relevant experiences and want to help with the dissertation research. Participants can also take part in a short one-to-one online interview to provide more context and information by contacting: [email protected].
Aliya Hamid Rao, a researcher at LSE, is working on a project about redundancies in journalism and looking to interview journalists who have been made redundant (or taken voluntary redundancy) in the past 12 months about their experiences. The interviews will be confidential and anonymous and take at least 90 minutes. Aliya is happy to meet you at a location of your choice and provide a £50 honorarium for your participation. Please email: [email protected].
A report by Amnesty International reveals the scale and severity of threats, intimidation, and violence against journalists in Northern Ireland. Read the report in full.
NUJ Rulebook 2025-2027
The updated rulebook is now available on the website. The rules define the union's work, membership, and democratic structure and includes amendments from the Delegate Meeting held in Blackpool in April.
IFJ international press card
As well as issuing UK and Irish press cards, the NUJ can also supply members with international press cards, which are essential for working safely and with international support. These cards are issued to full members working in foreign countries by the International Federation of Journalists via the NUJ. Please note that there is an additional £100 fee for issuing international press cards. Log in to the website to apply.
Appeals
The IFJ Safety Fund is a lifeline for journalists facing violence and persecution or needing urgent medical treatment. It is a shining example of journalist to journalist solidarity, providing immediate financial support to colleagues in various parts of the world, including Gaza. Please donate what you can here.
Sign our open letter calling for the UK government to exert serious pressure to protect journalists in Gaza and support an independent investigation to end impunity.
The Belarusian Association of Journalists reports that 40 media professionals are currently imprisoned in the country. Under president Alexander Lukashenka’s rule, journalists face restrictions on media freedom and independent media outlets struggle to survive. Watch this video (caution: contains some flashing images) and please donate to the Belarusian Association of Journalists. Please contact Ray Tostevin, SW England NUJ chair if you have any problems with the donation link.
Freelance
NUJ AI licensing survey - please spare a few minutes to complete the survey open to all freelance members on artificial intelligence licensing. Let us know if you are being approached to consent to your work being licensed by publishers and media agencies for AI use. Complete the survey.
The National Council for the Training of Journalists’ Journalism Skills Academy is offering freelance NUJ journalists a 15% discount on its professional training courses. Visit their website for more details and use the discount code FL15 to book a course. You must be a freelance.
The Federation of Entertainment Unions (FEU) offers a huge range of online training courses and webinars to help creative freelances with their career and the business side of being self-employed. Visit the FEU's training page to register.
The industry body ScreenSkills provides masterclasses, online courses and resources for creative and media freelances plus information on mentoring, bursaries and funding. Visit their website to find out more.
Discounts
Need new tech for Christmas? Dell is offering NUJ members 35% off desktops, laptops, monitors & accessories in addition to limited-time savings, 50% off software, and 3x Dell Rewards. Offer ends 2 December 2025. More information.
Book offer
Orwell Prize for Journalism winner Gary Younge’s book Dispatches from the Diaspora: From Nelson Mandela to Black Lives Matter is a powerful collection of journalism on race, racism and black life and death from one of the nation’s leading political voices. Go to the Faber website and quote the discount code Newsletter30 for 30 per cent off for NUJ members.
Scam warning
The NUJ communicates with members about direct debits only by writing, so beware of scammers who call by phone.
NUJ subs
Many of us are feeling the squeeze as the cost-of-living increases. If you are struggling to pay your NUJ subscription fee because your income has reduced significantly, you are unemployed, or are on maternity leave please contact the membership department at [email protected] for help and advice.
NUJ extra
NUJ extra helps members and their dependents who have fallen on hard times.
Your union profile
So the union can keep you up to date with news from the union and involve you in decisions such as consultative ballots on pay and other industrial issues where we need to ballot for action, please log in to the NUJ website, check your personal profile and add your personal email and mobile phone numbers so we do not have to send sensitive information to your workplace address. When you change jobs, remember to update your information. To do this log on at www.nuj.org.uk/login.html and then click My NUJ. You can update your contact preferences by clicking view/edit my profile.
NUJ Rate for the Job
How does a freelance journalist, especially one starting out, know what to charge? To help, the NUJ issues a Freelance Fees Guide. Getting up-to-date data requires members (in confidence) submitting the rates they get for shifts, and lineage etc. Find out more on the London Freelance Branch website.
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