Bristol NUJ

On Monday 26 November the celebrated investigative journalist Andrew Gilligan gave the second annual Bristol NUJ/Arnolfini Benn lecture on the media and politics in Bristol.

In 2003 it was Gilligan who made the famous statement live at 6.07 a.m. on BBC radio’s Today programme that he had been told by a source that the Government “probably knew that the 45-minute figure [on Iraq’s supposed weapons of mass destruction capability] was wrong even before it decided to put it in.”

This was the report which led to Dr David Kelly taking his own life, which led in turn to the Hutton Report in 2004. The report found against the BBC and Andrew. The NUJ, however, supports what Gilligan did, believes that the BBC acted in the public interest, and maintain that it’s vital for the right of journalists to protect the anonymity of confidential sources to be protected in law.

Go to the NUJ’s full report here <http://www.nuj.org.uk/inner.php?docid=661>

Gilligan, working these days at the Evening Standard and Channel 4’s Dispatches, spoke about the ongoing attack on journalism since Wapping in the mid-Eighties and the demise of the printers’ unions, the fact that it has since become possible to make real money out of the media and what media-as-marketable-commodity has meant for quality journalism.

He made a passionate argument for the need to stand up for true reporting and impartial analysis - for the dignity of journalism as the fourth estate of the realm. Speaking about the institutions in Britain (”the most centralised and secretive large democracy in the world”) which have both failed, and have failed to acknowledge their failings, Gilligan pointed out that the forces of hostility to journalism are on the increase, with clampdowns on unofficial sources; new difficulties in publishing memoirs; and leaks - and those who report on them - being punished even with jail to no murmurs of protest from the media.

So it’s hard times, but important ones. Andrew pointed out that we still ARE a democracy; that it IS possible to roll back state power; and that journalists have the potential to produce an alternative narrative which will hold government to account, inform the public, and defend democratic freedoms. Although the economics are going to become more difficult, he said that in a world full of cacophony the power of focused information is still considerable - and that as journalists, we should aim to supply it.

A really lively debate followed the talk and it was clear that the audience had both concerns and possible solutions to offer. It was great to be able to engage with Andrew and ask questions, and bring some local issues under the spotlight too. From weapons of mass destruction to the difficulties of withdrawing labour, we were still at it hammer and tongs in the bar at 10.30….

So yes, a great evening, attended by many NUJ members as well as the public, and it achieved what we as a Branch set out to do - that is, bring the debate on the key issues facing journalism today to a wider and live public, and provide a forum for discussion. Clearly there’s an appetite for it!

And finally, a plug: DVDs of last year’s lecture, featuring Tony Benn and produced by the Branch, are now on sale in the Arnolfini bookshop (£7), and a DVD of this year’s lecture will follow in due course.

WORLD PREMIERE of TOPLESS MUM IN DEAD HERO SHOCKER!!! at the Tobacco Factory

NUJ MEMBERS SPECIAL OFFER; £2 OFF TICKET PRICE;

Wed 23rd May – Sat 16th June

Topless Mum in Dead Hero Shocker!!! is written by Ron Hutchinson – one of today’s most inspiring contemporary playwrights who has worked for Spielberg, the National Theatre and the Royal Court.

Extremely funny and thought provoking, the play looks at the consequences when a newspaper editor buys ‘fake’ pictures from a soldier invalided out of Afghanistan. It examines how easy it is to manipulate images and the impact of this on a world increasingly dominated by soundbites, slogans and rhetorical gestures.

The story follows both that of the soldier’s reception on returning home and the contortions the newspaper people go through to deal with the ‘error’. With alternative titles including, ‘Digital revolution leads to confusion between image and reality horror!!’ and ‘Shocking truth of the implications of a world dominated by visual information – what this means for you!!’, the play takes a sideways look at the role of the media in today’s society and how we are increasingly fed news headlines that may ‘grab the eyeball but leave the brain untroubled’; a style that defies logic and grammar and increasingly ends in exclamation marks.

With a highly respected director, Caroline Hunt, and a fantastic cast, it promises to be one of the most exciting shows produced by the Tobacco Factory.

SPECIAL TICKET OFFER FOR NUJ MEMBERS: £2 off the stated ticket price on the following dates: Wednesday 23 May / Thursday 24 May / Saturday 26 May / Monday 28 May / Tuesday 29 May. The play runs to Saturday 16th June and early booking is certainly advised! Usual ticket price £8 - £12

For further information and to book please call the Tobacco Factory box office on 0117 902 0344 or visit www.tobaccofactory.com . When you’re booking tickets at the Box Office please quote reference number SYN11.