NUJ PR & Communications branch stands in solidarity with Reach journalists
The branch has condemned cuts and urged full support for the Reach group chapel's call for full disclosure on the use of artificial intelligence at the company.
Full statement:
The PR & Communications Branch of the NUJ sends its support and solidarity to our colleagues at Reach PLC who are facing a further round of massive redundancies.
The PRC Branch joins other union members in condemning these planned cuts which have created uncertainty for 600 journalists across the company’s titles. The proposals are that 321 roles would be cut, with the creation of 135 new roles to mitigate some of those losses. However, it is far from certain that those roles will be suitable for some of those at risk, meaning many of our Reach colleagues’ livelihoods are under threat, and the proposals would halve the number of dedicated journalists’ jobs at The Mirror, for instance.
We recognise that, without trained and qualified journalists to work with, the PR & Communications sector would fail. We also fully support the Reach Group Chapel in their statement that 'AI must not be used to replace journalists [and] there must be full disclosure on all ways AI is being used' - transparency is critical to maintaining public trust when it comes to Artificial Intelligence.
We reiterate our support and solidarity with members working across Reach titles as the union engages in consultations, and call on Reach management to engage meaningfully in this process.