A nurse who is facing disciplinary action for talking about the NHS to a local magazine is to be the guest speaker at the main event of a Europe-wide day of action in defence of journalism run by the National Union of Journalists.

Karen Reissmann is suspended from work and in the middle of a six-day disciplinary hearing accused of bringing the Manchester Mental Health and Social Care Trust into disrepute.

She has agreed to speak at a rally to mark Stand Up for Journalism day on Monday.

The day – called to coincide with the Society of Editors’ conference in Manchester – will be marked by events, protests and other activities all over Europe.

Stand Up for Journalism day was thought-up by the National Union of Journalists in Britain and Ireland as a way of highlighting working conditions and dwindling budgets in the news media.

There are events all over the UK and Ireland and the union nationally is organising a lunchtime lobby of the editor’s conference at the Radisson Hotel, Peter Street, Manchester, followed by a public meeting in the Friends Meeting House, on nearby Mount Street, where Karen Reissman will speak.

NUJ president Michelle Stanistreet said: “It is important that there are people brave enough to tell the public what is happening in the NHS and that there are experienced journalists for them to talk to.

“The media is now owned by a smaller and smaller group of extremely wealthy corporations.

“They make big profits but they want more. So journalists face a constant round of job cuts and dwindling editorial budgets. This means that more and more news is just recycled press releases.

“We want our editors to join with us and stand up to the culture of cuts. If they believe that journalism is important for democracy and for local communities they must take a stand.”

For more information about Stand Up for Journalism see: www.ifj.org.