Iconic Media: Better pay, proper say
The NUJ is campaigning for Iconic Media and its owner Malcolm Denmark to recognise the union, urgently enter negotiations to address poor pay and improve working conditions for staff across titles in the UK and Ireland.
About Iconic Media
Iconic Media is the largest regional news publishers in Ireland and an increasingly powerful publisher in the UK.
The company is owned by multimillionaire media mogul and horseracing hobbyist Malcolm Denmark. In 2025 Denmark purchased National World - the third largest regional publisher in the UK - and rebranded it under the Iconic Media stable. Through this takeover, Iconic gained control of more than 100 print and digital titles across the UK.
Iconic already enjoy a dominant position in the Republic of Ireland, owning around 40 digital and print titles through its subsidiary FormPress Publishing. In Northern Ireland, Iconic owns at least 20 digital and print titles and is seeking to acquire Alpha Media, which would further expand its influence.
In addition to Iconic Media, Malcolm Denmark also owns MediaForce, which acts as a conduit for the channelling of state advertising revenue to local and regional newspapers. This gives Denmark significant editorial and advertising influence over the UK and Ireland’s local and regional media.
Who is Malcolm Denmark?
Malcolm Denmark is known for owning numerous racehorses in the UK and Ireland, including those racing in the Grand National. In 2022 one of his horses, ‘Nice Guy’, placed first in Cheltenham in 2022, earning Denmark £78,679.52 in prize money. Since 2014, Denmark has earned more than €727,000 from horseracing.
Despite being one of the richest media owners in the UK and Ireland, Denmark has repeatedly refused to engage with the NUJ in collective bargaining while staff at his companies experience low pay, high workloads and stressful conditions.
Poor pay and treatment of staff
"A fearful environment has been created by the arrival of Iconic.”
Since taking over, the new management of National World has stopped paying the real living wage to its lowest paid staff, including trainee journalists, and now pays the lower statutory minimum wage to new recruits. Some Iconic members report earning less than £100 above the national minimum wage, leading some to consider leaving their role while others have taken second jobs to cope with the cost of living.
Despite repeated requests, management has refused to engage with the NUJ on pay or conditions.
The union’s health and safety survey with members at Iconic shows a clear picture of high workloads and lack of say:
-
81% of staff describe having to work intensively with excessive workloads "often" or "always".
-
39.2% say they "often" or "always" have unrealistic time pressures.
-
73% say staff are "seldom" or "never" consulted about change.
-
A third of staff say they are "often" or "always" unable to take breaks in their working day.
At the same time members at various titles have reported the removal of enhanced, union-negotiated terms for redundancy, annual leave, health policies, and maternity pay with the company reducing benefits to the UK statutory minimum.
-
"My stress is from being underpaid for the number of skills I use every day and undervalued from the people in charge of the company."
-
"I am very anxious about the future of the company and my position within it. Having already been at risk of redundancy last year, this new ownership itself causes me general stress."
-
"A fearful environment has been created by the arrival of Iconic. There is uncertainty about roles, future prospects and commitment to established working practices. There is little to no respect for the expertise and experience of long-standing staff. And there is an overly hostile attitude towards active NUJ members."
-
"There is often frustration at stories not being completed but often reporters are too busy to complete everything on their lists along with breaking news also."
-
"Staffing levels are such that when colleagues are absent there is no management appreciation of this, instead staff are given extra during on top of higher standards they demand."
Hostility to unions
Iconic Media has a long-standing refusal to recognise trade unions or enter collective negotiations.
In both Ireland and the UK, members report that management will not engage with union representatives. Existing recognition agreements have been undermined, and pay decisions are being made on an individual basis rather than through collective bargaining.
The NUJ believes this approach is damaging to staff, undermines workplace rights, and lowers standards across the industry.
Get involved
The NUJ is calling for:
-
Immediate recognition of the NUJ and a return to collective bargaining
-
Fair pay increases for journalists across all Iconic titles
-
Protection of terms and conditions, including redundancy and workplace rights
-
Greater scrutiny of media ownership and market concentration
-
Full transparency over the use of public funds
You can get involved in our campaign by:
-
Encouraging colleagues to join the union. It is your legal right to join a union; the best way to achieve better pay and conditions is through collective bargaining.
-
Attending chapel meetings, sharing information with union officials, and putting yourself forward as a rep. Your views and experiences directly shape our organising efforts and parliamentary lobbying.
-
Emailing your MP to urge the company to enter negotiations and address poor pay.