News Agencies in Danger Warn European Journalists' Unions

On 21st March I attended a meeting in Paris of journalists from a number of Europe's leading news agencies. It was called by France's SNJ-CGT union to highlight the mounting threats to agencies from employers and managers constantly looking to cut costs. Strong, independent news agencies are a vital part of the journalistic landscape in any democratic society and must be protected.

NUJ colleague and fellow Paris branch member Julian Nundy also attended the meeting and produced an excellent account of the proceedings for the Paris branch newsletter, which I have taken the liberty of reproducing here:

PARIS NUJ ATTENDS RANK-AND-FILE NEWS AGENCIES MEETING

The NUJ and the French SNJ-CGT held a one-day meeting in Paris on 21st March on the problems facing the world’s news agencies, some of them threatened with becoming multimedia operations churning out low-grade news with minimal financing and skeleton staffs.

The NUJ was represented by Jim Boumelha, also President of the International Federation of Journalists, Barry Fitzpatrick, Head of Publishing, Philip Waller, deputy Father of the Chapel at Thomson Reuters, and Paris Branch’s Simon Coss who freelances for AFP and Bloomberg staffer Julian Nundy.

Welcoming participants, who included representatives of the Associated Press in Paris, Spain’s Efe news agency in London, as well as Agence France-Presse, Patrick Kamenka of the SNJ-CGT said AFP was in danger of crossing a "red line" because it faced changes to its statutes by the end of March, leading to cuts in government subsidies. A petition to preserve AFP’s current status has been signed by some 14,000 people. An evening of support is planned to which politicians and public figures are invited to increase pressure to keep AFP’s status as it is.

Other workplace reports included Thomson Reuters, where former Thomson staff have been told they will lose their current nine-day fortnight, but will not get pay parity with Reuters staff in exchange. An NUJ-organised ballot is under way to decide on strike action unless management abandons what Barry Fitzpatrick described as a clear attempt to obtain more for less.

At Bloomberg News, Julian Nundy said that, unlike the other news services, Bloomberg is profitable and does not have financial problems. Nonetheless in February, Bloomberg closed its foreign-language television channels and sacked some 320 journalists. Bloomberg has negotiated an agreement with the Associated Press to buy AP’s service outside the U.S. This may eventually be used to replace work currently done by some Bloomberg journalists, putting more jobs at risk.

The most surreal account came from the SNJ-CGT’s Thierry Boinet, a reporter at AP’s French-language service. AP is laying off 400 of its 4,000 journalists and the Paris-based French service is up for sale. New Fund, a capital-risk group and the only current potential buyer, says it can take a service which currently loses 1 million euros a year, offer a cheaper deal than AFP, particularly for photos, and take clients in the French regional press away from AFP to make a profit.

To achieve this, 80 per cent of the current 107 AP French service staff would be fired, with just 22 remaining. Staff would work a 45-hour week and give up two weeks of their current eight weeks of holiday. The SNJ-CGT walked out of talks with New Fund; other unions remained. In November, AP’s CEO said AP had cash flow of only $24 million and projected zero cash-flow for 2009. AP would need $15 million just to pay the severance of people laid off in France. Participants at the Paris gathering agreed to widen contacts to other agencies, particularly Germany’s DPA and Italy’s ANSA, as well as photo agencies, and organise a follow-up meeting before the summer.
Julian Nundy

(for more information on Paris branch's activities, visit their website at http://www.nujcec.org/paris) Read more...

Standing up for French Journalism

AFP colleague Céline Agniel
and me on the streets of Rennes

I was out on the streets of my home town of Rennes today, protesting with over 30,000 fellow 'Rennais' about job cuts pay freezes and atacks on public services. Tough, independent journalism in France is also being threatened both by the cuts and by government plans to shake up the media and I joined French colleagues to say enough is enough.

The protest was part of a nation-wide day of action that saw over three million people out on the streets. The biggest marches were in Paris of course and colleagues from Paris branch did the Union proud there, with a great show of solidarity for our French colleagues. But NUJers were also out marching other French towns including the northern port city of Dieppe and Cahors in central France.

Check out the Paris branch website for more information of how NUJ members took part in the protest.

Today's marches follow a similarly massive protest that took place on 29 January.

France’s media are facing an unprecedented series attacks from Nicolas Sarkozy, a President who has shown scant regard for tough, independent journalism.

The integrity of news agency Agence France Presse (AFP) is being called into question by demands to reform its founding statutes.

There are major concerns about how public service broadcaster France Television will be able to continue functioning as advertising revenues are withdrawn.

The independence of the service is also in doubt following a government decision that the broadcaster’s top executive will in future be hand picked by the Elysée.


Read more...