The NUJ has joined the World Association of Newspapers, the International Federation of Journalists and dozens of African media organisations in supporting a petition calling for the release of all imprisoned African journalists and for the repeal of anti-media and anti-freedom of expression legislation in Africa.

The NUJ's General Secretary, Jeremy Dear, said that the African Union and its member states must "without delay, initiate steps to release all incarcerated journalists and review laws that restrict or curtail media freedom and freedom of expression.

"It is our experience that it is impossible for countries to develop or function as participatory democracies if the media and individual journalists are penalised for reflecting events and developments in society, and if freedom of expression is suppressed.

"It is also of utmost importance that governments respect and uphold the trade union and professional rights of journalists in line with internationally accepted standards."

For the full story, see the national NUJ website.

Friday sees the release of the new film, Veronica Guerin, telling the story of the Irish journalist and NUJ member who was murdered in 1996.

Guerin had been fighting to expose the key crime figures in Dublin's organised drugs trade when she was shot dead. She and her family had been threatened many times and she was severely beaten by one notorious criminal.

The film, which stars Cate Blanchett in the title role, is directed by Joel Schumacher and is the second major production to tell Guerin's story. In 2000, Joan Allen starred in When the Sky Falls, on the same subject.

In response to Veronica Guerin's murder, the NUJ supported the establishment of The Guerin Principles on media freedom:

	The existence of a fair, free and independent media is essential to democracy.
	The state must ensure that a constitutional and legislative environment exists to facilitate freedom of expression and free media.
	Media organisations must continue to provide the resources necessary for investigative journalism.
	Media workers resolve to resist any attempts at intimidation in whatever form and from whatever quarter.

Are you a journalist?

And have you been playing air guitar with your tennis racket since the price of a punnet of strawberries started to fall?

Are you good and I mean real good (after the martial arts magazine genre) - club standard?

Oh yeah? Then you may be interested in serving British journalism on the tennis court - yes, seriously!

In support of insane aspirations towards world domination, Chad Neighbor (Scotsman "Foreign desk"), has decided to try to net any journos with the catguts to face Europe's - and the world's - finest in international tennis tournaments.

But don't direct a volley of abuse at Chad; he speaks for British captain, Tony Doran, who obviously knows a heck of a lot more about tennis than he does about NUJ members (complaints to the address below).

Their intention is to strengthen their team of budding Tim Henmans and Sue Barkers, who seem to have better career prospects in the media than in tennis.

Dorrers would love to hear from you so please get in touch with him or Chad the next time you really want to get smashed.

The June report from the Scottish Organiser, Paul Holleran, is now available to download. The report carries extensive details of the NUJ's activities in Scotland and highlights the latest issues.

Archived reports going back to December 2002 can also be accessed via the Reports page.

The decision by the Press Complaints Commission to censure The Guardian for publishing an account of Lord Archer's imprisonment, and paying the fellow prisoner who wrote it, is one of the more remarkable episodes in the history of this august institution.

Its decision to investigate the Guardian's payment into a trust of NUJ-rate fees for a column from a serving prisoner, with the consent of prison authorities, is even more puzzling, as the Editors of the Telegraph and Independent have said.

Who complained about these articles? No one. Certainly not Lord Archer who, being Lord Archer, was probably grateful for anything that kept him in the public eye. So, lacking any complaint, the PCC decided to launch its own investigation, and duly found the paper guilty of breaching Article 17 of the Code of Practice.

17. Payment for articles *
Payment or offers of payment for stories, pictures or information, must not be made directly or through agents to convicted or confessed criminals or their associates - who may include family, friends and colleagues - except when the material concerned ought to be published in the public interest and payment is necessary for this to be done.

Leave aside for the moment the fact that the rest of the media had been salivating over Lord Archer's imprisonment ever since he was put behind bars, and that he himself had written about it (bending prison regulations by having his book published and serialised - and you can't fool the public that he won't benefit financially from that). That alone might have justified publication on the grounds of public interest.

The fact is that the PCC took it upon itself to launch an investigation into supposed misbehaviour by a newspaper; something it has been loathe to do since the ill-judged Royal interventions of its first chair, Lord McGregor. Now Sir Christopher Meyer has indicated that under his reforming regime the PCC will develop its newly-rediscovered investigatory powers.

Hooray.

We look forward to seeing those powers used whenever a newspaper transgresses against the Code, whether or not there has been a complaint. For a start, our newly-fanged watchdog can start chewing over coverage about refugees and asylum seekers, which leaves a lot to be desired in terms of accuracy if not discrimination.

And it can have an almost daily diet of breaches of personal privacy. To preserve our own value as an advocate for complainants, PressWise has eschewed such interventions - but we would agree that more proactivity from the PCC could help to improve standards of journalism, which is a key part of our aims.

However, how odd that the PCC should pick on The Guardian. Perish the thought that it was singled out because of its past criticisms of the Commission. None but the most cynical would entertain such an idea.

Coming as it did on the heels of the exoneration of the News of the World for paying petty criminals to entrap others, the PCC's new enterprise appears all the more perverse. Let's hope it is starting with The Guardian as a prelude to letting loose the watchdog on more persistent offenders.

We look forward to the day when the PCC's smart offices at 1 Salisbury Square bear the legend: Beware of the Dog!

The latest edition of Euronews, the European Federation of Journalists bulletin, is now available to download.

The bulletin highlights journalism issues across Europe, including coverage of the Milosevic trial being stifled, issues relating to protecting sources and the murder of Ukrainian journalist Georgi Gongadze, as the third anniversary of his death approaches.

The bulletin also addresses broadcasting issues, authors' rights and European policy.

The branch wishes to congratulate John Fray on his re-election as the NUJ's Deputy General Secretary.

John secured a mammoth 75% of the votes cast, polling 4,019 votes. Fraser Addicott received 648 votes while Chris Youett polled 445 votes. Greg Lloyd Smith trailed in in fourth placed having secured votes from 217 members.

The turnout, at approximately 20%, was high for an NUJ election and Fray's emphatic win marked the first time in NUJ history that an election was won without recourse to the transference of second preference votes.

By any measure, this would seem to amount to a ringing endorsement of Fray's previous tenure as DGS and a rejection of criticisms of him during the campaign.

The Glasgow branch looks forward to supporting John while he continues in his outstanding efforts on behalf of the members.

Responding to the win, Fray said: "It is a great relief and a very nice feeling, which I am now enjoying.

"Many thanks to all of you who gave me quotes, financial support, hard work and your vote.

"I will continue to work hard in the best interests of all NUJ members."

At the July meeting, the Glasgow branch took time to afford special praise to Frank Shennan on his re-election as Chair of the Scottish Executive Council.

The branch voted unanimously to congratulate Frank and to thank him for his exemplary contribution to the NUJ over several years.

In recent times, Frank has also been highly significant in contributing to greatly improved relations between Glasgow members and his own West of Scotland Freelance branch.

Glasgow branch chair, James Doherty, was returned as vice-chair of the SEC to general acclaim by the branch.

Cutting through the acres of newsprint and airtime devoted to the current
debacle between Downing Street and the BBC, the message for journalists (and their editors) is simple - get back to basics.

At some time in our careers we have all had THAT call - a well-connected
someone with sensational information that could wreck the career of a public official/politician/business tycoon.

The tempting scent of the biggest story ever oozes from the phone...but it
is the stench of corruption. It only takes a few short, sharp jabs from the
news editor to puncture our initial pride at having picked up a 'scoop'.

What evidence is on offer? No documents? No leads? Don't you realise that as soon as you try this story out on someone else you have started a rumour running?

Suddenly you appreciate why the journalist's first line of approach should
always be 'Why is this bastard lying to me?' Everyone has a motive.

That doesn't mean what they say to you is necessarily untrue, it's just that they also have a reason for telling YOU - and 'the public interest' usually comes second to some personal motive that is often vindictive.

The lesson - never rely on a single source, do nothing without hard evidence, and always check the story behind the story - who gains and who loses?

This approach should apply whether you are reporting allegations for The Sun that asylum-seekers, refugees, 'illegals' or 'East European gangs' are
poaching and barbecuing protected birds and fish, or if you work for the BBC and get the whisper that a security briefing has been manipulated by the Government to justify going to war against Iraq.

'Off diary' stories generated through personal contacts are often the best, but the same rules apply. Defend your source, but check it first.

The lobby system takes the whispering campaign to new depths since the motives of all concerned are suspect. Lobby journalists want to prove that they are 'in the know' and the Government has every reason for floating rumours to smoke out opposition or bury opponents.

The security services have a long and ignoble record in this regard.

Remember the brand of public relations known as Psy-ops employed to
devastating effect during the Troubles in Northern Ireland? And after '9/11' that well-known wheeler-dealer Donald Rumsfeld wanted to set up a department specifically to deceive the public (through the media).

We are all the losers when journalists play along with the 'secrecy' game.
Lives and livelihoods can be at stake. The root of the Blair/BBC/Campbell
debacle is rumour. Facts can usually be stood up - and there are ways of
protecting genuine whistle-blowers (Public Concern at Work was set up for precisely that reason).

If an unsubstantiated rumour has the whiff of truth, one of the oldest
journalistic tricks is to put it to the accused and publish the denial.

An 'unattributable source', whose motive may seem quite honourable, must nonetheless be treated with as much caution and scepticism as the pub bore.

Blair and the BBC only have themselves to blame for the current crisis of
confidence.

But those who died in Iraq, and the asylum-seekers, refugees and other immigrants (and their children) who suffer as a result of the never-ending onslaught of unchecked allegations published with impunity by the tabloids, deserve better of journalism.

As recipients of daily 'dodgy dossiers' of news, we should all be eligible to complain about shoddy journalism, but will the media regulators be prepared to step into either of these minefields?

PressWise, the media charity, has carried out a major redesign of its website: www.PressWise.org.uk.

The new site, which has greatly improved visual design and navigation, provides an indispensable resource for journalists requiring any information on how to maintain the highest standards of reporting.

Among numerous topics addressed with great authority are how to cover sensitive issues, such as suicide or items relating to children, responsibly and issues of legality, democracy and general ethical standards.

PressWise has worked with the NUJ on numerous occasions and maintains a strong and valued relationship with the union.

There are still a number of places available on the Employment Law course, which will take place in Bournemouth, between 2nd and 3rd September. The union would like to fill the course as soon as possible.

For full details, please visit the Training page.

Two well-known NUJ members have recently published articles that should interest journalists on the revamped AllmediaScotland.com.

On the site's Advice Shop, Tim Dawson gives his tips on how to maintain your notebooks.

And the Freelance Organiser, John Toner, addresses the question, "As a Freelance, Have you Rights as an Employee or Worker?"

The website, which is run by NUJ member, Mike Wilson, also has a free contacts book, entries in which have already paid dividends for some journalists.