National Union of Journalists (NUJ)

31 Jul 2026 The NUJ has welcomed the renewed appeal by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) for information about the murder of journalist Lyra McKee. The fresh call for witnesses to come forward follows the recent acquittal of three men accused of her murder. The gunman who murdered Lyra has never been charged. Following the accquital on 3 July, the NUJ called for a renewed police focus on securing a conviction for the murder.

“Reach NUJ Group Chapel notes the continuing slide in revenue for Reach plc and the disclosure that senior executives are seeking to turbo-charge cost-cutting to the end of the year. “Our members are clear that the path to recovery through digital subscriptions and other growth opportunities - where the company is in control of its own destiny – cannot be littered with journalist job losses.

“This is a landmark judgement by the IPT, and is a clear and unambiguous vindication of our member Vincent Kearney and the BBC. “It follows on the successful case taken by our members Barry McCaffrey and Trevor Birney, and represents a victory for journalists and investigative journalism. The outrageous treatment of Vincent and his family would not have been revealed without the action taken by Barry and Trevor.

23 Jul 2026 The NUJ’s Mirror Group Newspapers chapel have paid tribute to workers at the newspaper printing site in Watford. In February, Reach announced the closure of its printing sites in Watford and Saltire, Scotland as part of a ‘cost-saving drive’. The Watford printing plant, which once employed more than 2,000 workers, published its final copies of the Daily Mirror on Sunday.

“The FT chapel notes that the BBC is facing an existential funding crisis that could have a detrimental effect on the quality of television and radio production. Cuts to the BBC will have a huge impact on full-time and freelance journalists as well as the wider creative industry.

“Today’s half-year figures from the company make grim reading and will do nothing to reassure hard working staff about their job security and futures. “We now know that Reach has been slashing costs this year at nearly double the target rate it set at the beginning of the year (from 5-6% to 10%) and today senior executives confirmed that they intend to carry this rate of cuts on for the rest of the year in order to meet the £96m operating profits they have promised the City.

22 Jul 2026 The NUJ has joined the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) in commending journalists at the AFP bureau in Istanbul and the Türkiye Gazeteciler Sendikası (TGS) for winning a substantial wage increase. Journalists and media workers at AFP Istanbul secured a 27% wage increase following 12 days of strike action following months of inconclusive talks. Workers will also receive a bonus equivalent to one month’s salary and a one-off payment of €2,500.

17 Jul 2026 On 13 July, Lisa Nandy, culture secretary, faced questions from MPs on the future of the BBC ahead of the charter renewal process. Appearing before the Culture, Media and Sport (CMS) Committee’s BBC Royal Charter Review inquiry, Nandy said that the government is “almost certainly” going to pursue worker representation on the BBC board while removing political appointments as part of Charter Renewal.

“Freedom of Information laws were created to uphold the public’s right to know and promote transparency and accountability - vital principles within any democracy. There are several exemptions within The Freedom of Information Act to balance openness with protecting personal privacy, public safety, and the effective running of public affairs. “There’s no clear justification for the section 37 carve-out, which does nothing to safeguard these principles.

“The Press Association chapel of the National Union of Journalists is concerned to learn about potential job losses and a proposal to shut PA’s Howden office and move a large number of staff to a new office in Leeds. “The PA Media Group, which also has a headquarters in Paddington, London, has owned the Howden office in Yorkshire since 2002. “It is the contractual office location for more than 250 employees.