Aug. 14, 2017 – Mike Fuoco set the tone for The NewsGuild Sector Conference when he welcomed delegates to Pittsburgh: “I’ve been a journalist for more than 40 years,” the local president said, “but I have never been prouder to be a journalist than I am in 2017.”
The demonization of reporters – stoked by President Trump – and an upsurge in assaults and arrests of journalists served as the backdrop for the meeting.
Delegates cheered when NewsGuild International Chairperson Martha Waggoner said, in opening remarks, “I have a righteous anger. I’m angry that journalists work so hard to get the story right only to have it slandered as fake news.”
Most reporters don’t want to become part of the story, Waggoner said. “But we are in a time when we must defend our right to report the news without fear of assault, arrest or being silenced at a supposed news conference.”
Establish Integrity
Establishing the integrity of real journalists emerged as a recurring theme from small-group discussions at a workshop on how journalists and the Guild should respond.
“We should educate people about how we do our jobs, how newsrooms work, the difference between news and opinion,” said Sandra Tan, president of the Buffalo Local.
“People don’t understand that for professional journalists there is a verification process. Stories go through fact-checks, through a copy desk. There are multiple sets of eyes on stories,” said Nolan Rosenkrans, president of the Toledo Local.
“We should make the Guild a seal of approval, so that people know the news is legit because it came from a professional, that had a set of standards… Being unionized in journalism means that you are legitimate journalism, you’re not fake news.
Hammer Away
“We should hammer away at, ‘What is reality,’” said Jeff Gordon, vice president of Guild Region 6, who also reported to the conference on a small-group conversation.
“We should go after the purveyors of fake news and remind people when our reporting is right,” he said. “We should point out the 417 times someone claimed our story was wrong, but it turns out it was right.”
Guild members should remind people of the historic consequences of media suppression and the conditions in places around the world where a strongman clamps down on the press, the group said.
Journalists must engage with the public to remind them of the importance of press freedom, said Rob Johnson, of IAPE Local 1096. We should push for public discussions and forums on campuses, with non-profit organizations and houses of worship, with a focus on the underserved.
Rights on Social Media
Uncertainty about journalists’ rights on social media is an obstacle to standing up for the right to report, Region 1 Vice President John Hill reported. Some editors discourage newsroom employees from expressing their views, and journalists frequently censor themselves out of fear of reprisals from their employers. Often time, they are concerned about being trolled.
The group urged the Guild to provide updated training on journalists’ right on social media.
Reporters also seek to project objectivity and are therefore reluctant to speak out – even in defense of their own rights, said Josh Austin, a member of the NewsGuild of New York.
Avalanche of Lies
Delegates endorsed a resolution, Defend the Right to Report, which was adopted by the CWA Convention immediately after the Guild conference. The Communications Workers of America is the Guild’s parent union. NABET (National Association of Broadcast Engineers and Technicians) joined the Guild in proposing the resolution to the CWA.
Speaking in favor of the resolution at the CWA Convention, Hill, the Guild Region 1 vice president, said, “Since the inauguration of the president of the United States, we have been subjected to an avalanche of revelations of the administration’s lies, double-dealing and corruption.
“But it hasn’t been the Congress, its committees or the Attorney General who have been telling us about this. It’s been journalists… They are the ones who have kept us in the know.”
Rosenkrans, the Toledo Local president, said, “We are not the enemy of the people; we are the voice of the people.
“Our union fights not just for better pay, benefits and working conditions for our members at newspapers and websites in the U.S. and Canada,” he said. “We fight for better, more ethical journalism.”
The resolution declares the CWA’s support for:
- The fight against attacks on journalists and the First Amendment.
- National and state legislation that would make it a felony to assault journalists, including reporters, photographers and videographers.
- The expansion of state shield laws.
- Passage, enforcement and adherence to Freedom of Information laws at the federal, state and municipal levels.
- Promoting alliances among groups that support journalists’ ability to perform their work unfettered.
- Journalists must be allowed to cover public events, report on protests, and question officials without fear of arrest or other forms of intimidation.
Delegates emerged united: The NewsGuild must continue to defend the right to report.
[More conference news to come.]