A union chief has hit out at regional press bosses who blame the BBC for their newspapers’ decline, accusing them of being “disingenuous.”
Michelle Stanistreet, general secretary of the National Union of Journalists, was speaking ahead of a green paper due to be published by the government on the BBC’s future tomorrow.
Writing in Media Guardian, Michelle, pictured, called on local press bosses to work more closely with the corporation, rather than viewing it as the “culprit.”
At the same time, she said the corporation should stop “ripping off” local newspapers by not crediting them when it uses their stories.
Earlier this year the BBC’s ‘Future of News’ report it said would have to do more to provide local news amid what it called “the decline of the regional press”.
Johnston Press chief executive Ashley Highfield responded by accusing the BBC of “parking a tank” on the lawn of every local newspaper.
On Monday it was announced new culture secretary John Whittingdale had appointed Ashley to an eight-person panel of experts put together to advise him on the BBC charter renewal process.
Yorkshire Post and Yorkshire Evening Post editor Jeremy Clifford has also called on Mr Whittingdale to stop the corporation from “encroaching” on local news.
Discussing the Future of News report in her Media Guardian piece, Michelle wrote: “The BBC claimed it was the only news organisation committed to reporting the whole of the UK, community by community, region by region, nation by nation.
“The truth is that when the going was good, newspaper group managements milked the profits for their shareholders and executives, made unwise acquisitions and failed to invest in journalism.”
She added: “It is completely disingenuous for these self-interested entities, who have been the masters of their own decline, to point to the BBC’s website as the culprit.
“That said, the BBC needs to work in partnership with local media. It has earned a reputation for ripping off local newspaper stories without crediting them. That must stop – the BBC should link to any story it takes from local news outlets.
It was announced in April that the BBC would set up a content-sharing deal with the regional press as part of its Local Live web feed, which will be introduced across England by the middle of 2016, and is already being trialled in areas including Yorkshire and the North-East.
Added Michelle: “It must hasten its rollout of the Local Live pilots, which aim to provide original stories, updates and take readers on to external media.
“The plan is to extend it across the country by mid-2016 and to include hyperlocals. But it must brought forward, otherwise the corporation risks being accused of doing too little too late.
“The BBC’s website has been at the forefront of many innovations later copied by other news groups. It is where people go for news they can trust. It would be a piece of monumental spite if the enemies and rivals of the corporation succeeded in killing or hobbling the BBC website.”
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When local newspapers die, who is going to pay the general secretary’s wages?
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Finally, some sense from the NUJ!
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Course the BBC isn’t to blame. It’s online local output is terrible, it’s on-air content dull and formulaic.
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The BBC don’t invest in proper grass roots journalism, they just take on interns and people in their ‘talent pool’ who they can get to work for nothing, then advise you to go for coffees (of course) with the right people. Most of their jobs are advertised internally, this has given rise to a generation of journalists there who can’t see much beyond how to submit an FOI.
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Ashley Highfield has just parked his tanks on the Beeb’s lawn – if you can’t blame the election for your firm’s dismal record, blame the BBC. This isn’t disingenouous, it’s contemptible.
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The NUJ is just as bad as the local press. Produces nothing of value, doesn’t represent its members and have lost touch with reality.
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Apart from that, Alex, was everything else okay?
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The BBC is not solely to blame for the decline of regional and local press but it does have a massively distorting impact on how local media can adapt and survive if, bereft of the classified advertising that used to subsidise the overheads, we now need news to pay for itself while the BBC can just throw it our for free.
Just look at Birmingham’s circulation and ask yourself how selling 28,000 copies a day can get anywhere near to paying for a metropolitan news room?
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‘carts’,
The Birmingham Mail still gets by because the advertisers haven’t cottoned on to how it only sells twenty-odd thousand copies in a city with a population in excess of 1.1 million people!
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But surely newspaper groups like Archant are fighting back with the likes of Mustard TV. Guffaw
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Seriously, I doubt anyone – in the history has ever – has ever steered clear of a newspaper because they can read about it on the beeb.
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The decline of the local press is surely partly due to the dramatic decline in the volume of classified advertising.
When I put a death notice in the paper I used to work for, I was astounded how much it cost, even with a 25% staff discount.
Then there are newspapers’ own websites giving away their stories for all to read. It is hardly surprisng that people do not buy newspapers when they can read them for nothing online.
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Local newspapers only have themselves to blame.
Instead of innovating and investing to create a quality product people might want to pay money for, their only business model is to cut costs to create ‘cheap’ products and maximise profits.
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Whenever the NUJ gets a mention on HTFP, there are always those willing to make snide remarks about it. All I can say say is I’m glad they have probably never needed its services.
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I don’t think the NUJ should get too upset about yet more of Ashley’s excuses for failure. If they want to do something about the decline of local newspapers they should be taking serious action about the staff cuts managements like his are inflicting across the industry.
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It’s hard enough to take action now, Mr Angrier. Once the Tories have had their way the NUJ will have its hands & feet tied & its throat cut. Journalists being what they are – observers, commentators, reporters, watchers, grumblers but seldom participants – under the new rules the NUJ will never be able to back any industrial action legally.
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Maybe Comrade Stanistreet is just thinking about the bulk of her membership, who probably have BBC affiliations, as the behemoth increasingly becomes the only show in town.
I’m not going to rail against the tide of rehashed stuff the BBC churns out, as I know plenty of good ex-newspaper journos now plying their trade in Media City.
But it’s little more than state-sponsored journalism and it shows.
And if Michelle wants it that way, she can whistle for her next round of subs.
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Ms Stainstreet so full of the answers !
Perhaps she should launch her own paper, then we would see reality bite. The NUJ are watchers not doer’s.
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I doubt she would employ Punter unless he learns the correct use of an apostrophe!
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Cast Aside, I did need their services – they were kecks.
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JJ, I used their services and have nothing but praise for them. Couldn’t have got through my problems without their help and guidance. Would seriously recommend anybody in the profession to join them in the current climate. The stronger they are the better equipped they are to fight your corner.
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