Lunchtime meet - of interest to NUJ members?

Monday 12th November 2007

The Loft Lounge 14 Station Street. Eastbourne, East Sussex BN21 4RG Registration 1215 for start at 1230 prompt Finish Approx 1415 Members : £14.50+ Vat Visitors : £19.50+ Vat Including lunch and refreshments Book a Place Visiting companies and individuals can attend two Womens Business Club Meetings as non members. Select button to book.

What Makes News? With Nicola Carslaw of Carslaw Major BBC journalist and former home and foreign correspondent Nicola Carslaw, who lives in Sussex, shares some media maxims gleaned during 20 years experience. This presentation explains how journalists produce stories and choose what makes headline news. Why do journalists seem to love scare stories? And what’s the best way for businesses to avoid pitfalls, to understand where the journalist is coming from and to make sure that they get their message across verbally and non verbally? Nicola Carslaw has worked in the front line of national and international news for more than 20 years. Following a career in print journalism she moved to broadcast and reported extensively for BBC flagship programmes including Radio 4’s Today programme, the Ten O’clock News and Newsnight, as well as News 24 and Online. Nicola was the BBC’s first dedicated Consumer Affairs Correspondent, a post she held for almost a decade. During her tenure, she covered a wide range of consumer and CSR issues and her reports regularly led the national consumer news agenda. Prior to this she was one of the first women to hold an international post as foreign correspondent for the BBC. Career highlights included covering the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe. Nicola is a contributing editor for BBC News, specialising in editorial strategy, communications and compliance. She also runs her own image and media presentation consultancy, www.carslawmajor.com that specialises in message development and presentation techniques for business leaders. Nicola is a regular speaker at industry conferences and she lectures on risk communication issues for Harvard School of Public Health and the European Food Safety Authority. She also judges the prestigious Bradford & Bingley Personal Finance Media Awards.

Dates for your diary

The Council of the Journalists' Charity will be holding a VIP Reception at the Embassy of Ireland, Grosvenor Place, London. All members are invited to attend. Tickets are £20 each with proceeds going to the Journalists' Charity. See www.nuj.org.uk for more information.

The Centre for Democratic Policy-making, Red Pepper, and Campaign for Press and Broadcasting Freedom will be hosting 'Democracy and the role of the independent media' with speakers including Hilary Wainwright, Red Pepper and Chris Morley, Northern and Midlands NUJ organiser. Staring 7pm on Wednesday October 24 at Friends Meeting House, 6 Mount Street, Manchester. For more details contact Hilary Wainwright, hilary1@manc.org.

NUJ Training 2008

New course dates have been set in 2008 for Professional and Trade Union training. To view the course timetable and outlines click on the post's title. Places can be booked online, by emailing training@nuj.org.uk or by calling 020 7843 3717.

Standing Up for Freelance Journalism

The NUJ is to launch a campaign seeking negotiating rights with the BBC on behalf of freelances.
As part of the Stand up for Journalism events on November 5, the Freelance Office will launch a petition at Headland House between 12.30pm and 2pm. The campaign will apply to all freelance journalists who work for any part of the BBC in any capacity.
All freelances are invited to attend. Lunch will be provided. To book please email freelanceoffice@nuj.org.uk

AGM minutes

Minutes from AGM, September 26

Present: Adrian Colley, Adam Juniper, Cath Quinn, Su Quinn, Nic Tann, Harriet Meyer, Fred Pipes, Eamonn Davoren, David Blackman, Elaine Fairweather, Matt Long, Greg Hadfield (apologies if I've forgotten anyone)

1. Minute's silence for Barbara Wiseman
2. New members Raychel Harvey-Jones, Paul Farley, Jessica Bauldry, Simon Milham, Stephanie Jones were accepted
3. Election of officers:
Adam Juniper - chair
Su Quinn - welfare officer
Nic Tann - treasurer
Cath Quinn - co-secretary
Rachael Glazier - co-secretary
4. Agreed to continue affiliation to Justice for Columbia (£50)
5. Nominations for National Exec. Will wait until next meeting as deadline is November 26
6. Nominations for industrial council. Adam interested in new media before, Rachael to find out info
7. Nominations for elected bodies at annual delegate meeting. David Blackman interested in more info on disabled members' council, Rachael to forward info
8. Agreed to donate £50 to New Popular Weekly, paper of OPZZ trade union (Poland)
9. Discussed Nov 5. Elaine expressed interest in attending the NUJ's lobby of the Society of Editors meeting in Manchester on November 5. The branch discussed trying to recruit new members on this day, perhaps at Lewes. The officers will discuss details, any ideas welcomed
10. Christmas party dates discussed. Rachael suggested choosing a Thursday this year. Need to find a pub with disabled access. Discuss again at next meeting
11. Any other business: Elaine mentioned issues with the NUJ freelance office not being well-informed in journalism issues and changing of payment terms at Daily Mail. Rachael to write to freelance office to discuss this
12. Present given to outgoing secretary Adrian Colley as thanks for all his hard work over the years

FAO City College students

Thanks for listening yesterday. If you want to join the NUJ as a student member then here's where you go:

http://www.nujtraining.org.uk/studentreg.phtml

Keep an eye on this site for local events. Don't forget you are all invited to the Christmas party. Not sure when that is but come along whether you join the branch or not - it's a chance to talk to local journos and a good night out.

One message I really wanted to get over (and forgot to mention) was "please read your contract when you get a job". In my experience hardly anyone does and it can make a big difference and save a lot of time if you do this.

Thank you

I am overwhelmed by the generosity shown to me on Wednesday and would like to thank everyone for my presents - you shouldn't have. But thanks anyway.

I shall be following Sussex events closely from my new home in Kyiv and wish everyone the very best. Good luck, the branch is in good hands and keep the faith.

Today's agenda

BRIGHTON AND MID SUSSEX NUJ ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Minute's silence for branch Barbara Wiseman, 96, who died last month.

1 Apologies

2 New members - Raychel Harvey-Jones, Paul Farley, Jessica Bauldry, Simon Milham, Stephanie Jones.

3 Election of officers.

i) Chair
ii) Secretary
iii) Treasurer
iv) Welfare officer

4 Correspondence - copies of Campaign for Press and Broadcasting Freedom mag available. Plea for donation to New Popular Weekly, paper of OPZZ trade union with 800,000 members. At risk of closure, facing right-wing government.

5 Affiliation to Justice for Colombia. We have been affiliated to this organisation which helps trade unionists in Colombia who run the gauntlet of death squads and
intimidation in the course of their duties

6 Nominations for National Executive Council. Anyone want to serve on the union's most powerful body. We can nominate for the regional seat - SE England, which has three reps, or for industrial sectors where we have members - eg book, magazines, broadcasting, freelance, new media. We have up until November 26 to make nominations.

7 Nominations for industrial councils - there are currently seats to fill on ethics council, freelance industrial council, new media IC, magazine and book IC and newspapers and agencies IC. If you want to stand we can nominate you today!

Annual Delegate Meeting-elected bodies - eg ethics council, equality council, journalist editorial board, women's TUC delegation, disabled members' council
committee of British national pensioners' convention, TUC delegations. We have until November 26 to make nominations. Please consider if you would like to serve on one of the union's decision/policy-forming bodies.

8 November 5th - Stand Up for Journalism day. What do we want to do?

9 Christmas party. What dates are preferred? Where shall we hold it?

10 Any other business

Accounts for year ending September 30, 2007

The branch gets 5% of every member's subscription. We get this in the form of quarterly installments from HQ and this more than funds branch activities. We now have, as of August 31, £2,692.78 in the Unity Trust Bank.

This year we spent £1,350.57 and received £1,709.26. So we are in a healthy position in that we have twice as much money in the bank as we have spent in the last year. As a comparison, in the 12 months up to September 30, 2006 we spent £1,166.15 and received £1,821.40.

In the last year I wrote 16 cheques, itemised below. Branch running costs have been about 40% of expenditure and party costs have been around the same! The only unpaid bill is a cheque soon to be written to Rachael Glazier for costs she has incurred in the past few months and for which she has not yet made a claim.

Cheques paid out:
JFC affiliation - £50
Searchlight - £50
AGM costs of newsletter printing, after-meeting drinks, taxi for Barbara Wisemen - £42
AGM room hire - £34
Jemima Kiss for hire of web domain - £6.78
Deposit for Xmas party room hire - £40
Stamps - £115
Xmas party drinks bill - £202.40
CPBF subs - £25
Sundry items - envelopes, printing, wine for guest speaker - A Colley £20
500 stamps - £123.90
Wine for Andrew Crofts - £13.99
Rachael Glazier - £45
Adrian Colley - £440. Includes cost of food and drink for barbecue (£), drinks bill at Bedford Tavern (£159.40) and donation to NUJ Extra charity (£120). For convenience I paid NUJ Extra the
money raised from the raffle and then wrote myself a cheque for the barbie/drinks bill and charity payment.
500 stamps - £120
Photocopying - £22.50 - paid to R Glazier

Total £1,350.57

ADMINISTRATION = £543.17

Stamps £358.90
Room hire - £34
Web costs - £6.78
Other costs - photocopying, envelopes, taxi for member from AGM, presents for speakers - £143.49

CHARITY DONATION = £120

ENTERTAINMENTS £562.40

Xmas party £242.40
Summer barbie £160
Night in pub at postponed barbie - cost of drinks. £159.40

AFFILIATIONS = £125

Justice for Colombia - £50
Trade Union Friends of Searchlight - £50
Campaign for Press and Broadcasting Freedom - £50
Income from HQ - £1,709.26

INCOME = 1,709.26

Four quarterly payments - £414.08; £402.10; £435.77; £457.31

2007 annual meeting

The annual meeting this year will be later this month on September 26 in Brighton in the Stanmer Room at the Brighthelm Centre.

Joint secretary Adrian Colley is stepping down so the branch is likely to need new blood to help run affairs.

Please think about whether you can lend a hand. Last year I said helpers had to come forward or the branch would fold. As it turned the ultimatum worked and we have had three well-attended social events (Xmas party; barbie and Bedford Tavern drinking session) and several good speaker - Andrew Crofts, Joanne Mallon and Anthony Rowlinson come to mind - as a result.

Contact us if you need details on how to get there!

Simpson speaks

Beeb World Affairs editor John Simpson talks about his new book Not Quite World's End at The Venue in Quarry Lane, Chichester on Saturday October 13 at 8pm.

It takes an upbeat view of the globe's troubles. Tickets are £13.

Tunney's triumph

Sussex-based NUJ member Sean Tunney has just had a book published - Labour and the Press 1972-2005.

It tells the story of how the Labour party transformed its relationship with the national press, allowing the emergence of New Labour.

It covers the party's overall development from the days of Harold Wilson, through its flirtation with Daily Mirror tycoon and thief Robert Maxwell to the approach of Tony Blair.

Sean is a lecturer at Roehampton College in London and has worked on the FT and on local newspapers in Crawley. It's published by Sussex Academic Press - call 01524 68765 for a copy. £40 hardback, £15 softback. Sean says it's so far selling better in the US than in the UK.

Get involved!

If you want to serve on some of the NUJ committees then now's your chance. HQ are looking for people for, among others:

NUJ Extra (the union charity)
Disabled Members' Council
Standing Orders Committee
Committee of British National Pensioners' Convention
Equality Council
Journalist Editorial Advisory Board
Women's TUC delegation
TUC delegation

All the above are elected by a vote of delegates at next year's ADM in Belfast. If you want to be nominated by the branch then put your name forward and the branch can forward your candidacy. We can do this at this month's or next month's meeting.

Justice for Colombia

We have a DVD on the situation faced by trade unionists in Colombia if anyone wants it. Reaffiliation ot the JFC campaign will be on Wednesday's agenda. You can also buy JFC Christmas cards, so get your order in early.

CPBF magazines

Several copies of the July-August edition of Free Press - the journal of the Campaign for Press and Broadcasting Freedom - available. Drop us a line if you want one. Issues covered include the CPBF's agm in July and the investigative journalism summer school held in London.