Striking journalists in South Yorkshire are claiming to have scooped their own titles in their self-published newsletters from the picket line.
National Union of Journalists members at Johnston Press-owned South Yorkshire Newspapers are taking indefinite strike action over plans to axe 18 jobs.
With the stoppage due to enter its third week tomorrow, the strikers have produced ‘bootleg’ editions of their papers for the second week running.
As well as carrying latest news on the strike, the journalists say this week’s newsletters contain several stories missed by their own papers.
In Doncaster, the strikers’ ‘News of the Don’ newsletter splashed news of plans by the town’s elected Mayor, Peter Davies, to secure a bylaw banning spitting in the town centre – a story they say was missed by the Doncaster Free Press.
They claimed the Free Press also failed to report a crash on the runway at Doncaster airport, a story covered in the strikers’ newsletter along with a picture.
News of the Don also boasted exclusive news of job cuts at a local engineering company and an exclusive interview with former Doncaster Rovers star Sean McDaid, whose career was recently cut short by injury.
Meanwhile in Selby the ‘News of the Ouse’ hit the streets this morning with a story about more disruption to the town’s road network, moves to appoint a town crier and the launch of a campaign to secure Selby its first cinema in 40 years.
The Mexborough newsletter also hit the streets with stories which the strikers say the South Yorkshire Times missed, including plans for a continental market, news about a consultation on a controversial waste plant and the cancellation of a local music festival.
One striker said: “I think the quality of this weeks’ newsletters should give SYN pause for though as they show our commitment to our readers and our communities and to quality journalism.”
“That we’ve managed to give the ‘official’ papers such a thrashing over the real news this week just goes to show the power of creative journalism.
“The newsletters are being well received by the public in all three towns – loads of people have told us they’re a much better read than the JP titles.”
Johnston Press has so far not made no c0mment on the strikers’ claims.
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Good for them. I hope readers hit JP where it hurts and don’t buy their local papers while the reporters area out on strike.
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wow these guys are like trojans. JP will be bricking it
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Really impressive. What a bunch of stars – good luck
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Are the newsletters chock-full of ‘EXCLUSIVE’ stories, which are in fact re-written press releases?
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Hi Ed!, there’s not a press release among them. They are all either off-diary pieces which we’ve picked up by being out on the streets, or have come from meetings which we have attended in our own time – and which the papers did not cover.
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THE WORLD IS ROUND – Another Times Exclusive!
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Hi Ed.
The newsletters are fab, and aren’t simply re-hashed Press Releases.
However, the newspapers currently being produced by management and scabs ARE full of re-hashed Press Releases.
Cunningly, they appear to be trying to pass off the scabbed editions as a normal edition, as they’re still including the “meet the team” box with the staff’s photographs in.
Just how low can JP go?!
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I cant understand the printers printing the scab newspapers, I cant understand the people buying the scab newspapers, but I think these newsletters are good journalism, thats what these strikers do and I feel that they should be supported in every way possible.
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