NUJ at IFJ100
It’s been a busy few days for the NUJ at the International Federation of Journalists' (IFJ) Centenary Congress in Paris, which has welcomed hundreds of delegates representing journalists’ unions and associations from around the world.
NUJ General Secretary Laura Davison, who was elected to the IFJ's Executive Council, spoke about the importance of public service broadcasting at a keynote roundtable, while NUJ Joint President Gerry Curran highlighted issues around the surveillance of journalists in the UK and Ireland.
Georgina Morris, NUJ vice-president, moved the union’s motion calling for global support for an urgent windfall tax on tech giants to support the preservation of the media industry.
Georgina Morris, NUJ vice-president.
Morris said:
“Our motion addresses an issue which you will all be familiar with - the impact of tech giants amassing unprecedented amounts of wealth at the expense of the rest of the global economy.
“Economics on this scale may feel remote to some members of our unions, but the reality is that this is costing many journalists their jobs.
“The advertising revenue crucial to the survival of so many media organisations is being diverted to AI companies, search engines and social media platforms who profit from our content without making any contribution towards its production.
“One of the key policies in our union's News Recovery Plan is our call for an urgent windfall tax on the tech giants, ensuring that a portion of the vast profits they make in each country goes back to supporting journalism there.
“It would provide immediate funding to reinvigorate the news sector - with an ongoing digital tax to provide sustainable future funding.
“The tech giants work at a global scale and we need a global response. We need every member of the IFJ to work together and supporting this motion allows us to begin that fight.”
Congress passed the motion unanimously.
The NUJ’s second motion called on the IFJ to re-invigorate campaigns against the global erosion of press freedom. Describing the motion as “a clarion call for action”, Curran said: “As custodians of a proud tradition of resistance, it beholds us to recommit ourselves to the defence of journalism and to make media freedom an integral part of our work programme.”
Highlighting the NUJ’s Journalists’ Safety Tracker, the motion encouraged IFJ affiliates to regularly monitor and precisely document attacks on journalists - such as online abuse, physical intimidation, misuse of the law, and threats from states. The motion also called for sister unions to collate information that would allow the IFJ to establish how many journalists have sought sanctuary in their jurisdictions. “The war on journalism knows no borders,” said Curran. “That is why we need to address the heightened attacks asylum-seeking journalists.” The motion passed unanimously.
Gerry Curran, NUJ joint president.
The particular plight of journalists in Iran was highlighted by NUJ delegate Hanif Mazrooei, who called for a new IFJ campaign to support the reopening of the Association of Iranian Journalists (AoIJ), which was banned by the Iranian government in 2009.
Mazrooei explained that since the NUJ submitted this motion, a lot had happened in Iran: massive protests followed by a violent state response, the arrests of at least ten journalists, an internet shutdown, and war. "Now more than ever, Iranian journalists need a union to defend them and their rights," Mazrooei said.
As a journalist working at BBC Persian, Mazrooei outlined the impact of harassment against journalists' families in Iran. “For about 10 years, the Iranian government has harassed, prosecuted, and even detained the families of my colleagues,” he said. Mazrooei urged the IFJ to increase its involvement in international advocacy efforts initiated by the NUJ and BBC to pressurise Iranian authorities through the United Nations to stop this campaign of harassment. The motion passed unanimously.
Hanif Mazrooei, NUJ delegate.
It was not all hard work in Paris. NUJ delegates Laura Davison, Georgina Morris and Hanif Mazrooei also used the opportunity to meet Paris branch members Paul Grayson, Emmanuelle Crane, and Pierre Tran.
Members of the union's delegation and NUJ Paris branch.