There are still places available on the European Academy Berlin seminar: "A Constitution for a Unified Europe: New Challenges for the European Union", in Edinburgh on 1st and 2nd September.

The seminar, supported by the Berlin Foreign Office will provide information and accomodate discussion on the federal states and regions within Europe.

This is an excellent opportunity to gain an invaluable insight into European issues from another perspective and anyone who can attend should give the matter serious consideration.

For further information, contact Carolin Krauss by telephone on
+49-30-89 59 51 18 or by e-mailing ck@eaue.de.

To whom it may concern

I am writing to you about some material inaccuracies contained in your online newsletter published at
http://www.nujglasgow.org.uk/textcontacts.html [sic]

I am the publisher of the web site http://www.journalism.co.uk which is referred to in the following extract from your newsletter:

"Finally, there is the case of Mousetrap Media's Dot Journalism. Until challenged recently, their website invited contributed articles under the following conditions: "Use this form to submit an article or press release to dotJournalism, ... Please note: submission does not guarantee publication nor does it amount to a commission - we do not pay contributors. We also reserve the right to edit all contributions."

When Mousetrap Media Director, John Thompson, was taken to task on this through the UKSubs forum, he initially seemed to attempt to evade the issue, saying that the company paid for "all news reports".

When confronted with the above quote he insisted that the request referred mainly to press releases and was outdated but that the fact that the website gave people employment justified the policy. However, the page was removed within 24 hours."

Here are the facts:

1. The only time journalism.co.uk has ever published articles without payment is when we have had work experience journalism students working in our office.

Or on the very rare occasions where we have re-written press releases.

2. The page with the "offending" phrase was a standard interface of some rather poor content management software that we originally installed when the site was first created (long before the site received any income).

It was supposed to be a system for collecting press releases. The wording was not meant to be a mission statement or our general "policy", merely an admittedly clumsily worded explanation that submission via this particular interface did not amount to any kind of transaction.

3. The software was replaced, as I have stated, a long time ago. No page on our site has linked directly to it for at least a year and a half. Unfortunately, the page remained on our server and was still being indexed by search engines.

When I realised this was the case, I instructed that it be removed. If anyone had actually used it since it was made redundant, it probably wouldn't have worked and we wouldn't have known if it did.

4. I am sorry if I gave the impression that I was being "evasive" - frankly I had no idea what the UKSubs poster who raised the issue was talking about when I first responded.

5. Check our archives - the vast majority of our articles have been written by no more than five people. Colin Meek, a freelance journalist; Caroline White, a freelance journalist; Elizabeth Croad, our first full-time employee; Jemima Kiss, our current employee, and myself.

Contact them - they will all confirm that they were paid in full for their work, and on time.

6. Journalism.co.uk does not make a profit. In fact, the total turnover of Mousetrap Media, with its staff of two including me, is less than the average local newsagent.

If you really think we are a legitimate target for your rather spurious insinuations, then I am very sorry for the state of MY trade union.

This is a storm in the teacup - go fry some bigger fish.

Yours sincerely
--
John Thompson
Managing Director
Mousetrap Media Ltd

The article was an attempt to draw attention to the issue of publications procuring content without paying, something which is particularly prevalent in the online sector.

Whether on websites, in local newspapers or any other publications, the principle that contributors should be paid for their work seems to be sound.

Bernard Thompson (Editor)

The NUJ campaign to have Adli Hawwari and Abdul-Hadi Jiad reinstated comes to Scotland, this Sunday, when Greg Dyke visits Edinburgh.

The BBC's Director-General will be delivering a lecture at the city's International Conference Centre for the Edinburgh Television Festival.

To coincide with Dyke's arrival, the NUJ is planning a demonstration to demand justice for the former BBC World Service journalists.

In February, the men - both long-standing NUJ activists - were dismissed without warning, representation or appeal in a move which Dyke sanctioned personally.

The dismissals directly contravened the BBC's agreed employment procedures and, despite numerous direct appeals to senior management, industrial action and boycotts by NUJ members, the BBC has refused to explain its action satisfactorily.

The union firmly supports Adli and Abdul-Hadi, who are now taking legal action, and is continuing to demand an independent inquiry into allegations of institutional racism within the Arabic Service.

Adli and Abdul Hadi will both join the picket and members are strongly urged to show their support by attending.

The picket will take place at 10.30 am, on Sunday 24th August at Edinburgh International Conference Centre.

If enough people intend to travel, the union may hire a bus to take demonstrators to Edinburgh and back.

For more information, contact Peter Murray, Glasgow Broadcasting Branch and member of the NUJ National Executive Council:

Mob: 07879 695 174 Tel: 0141 338 3707

The NUJ is asking members to take part in a Europe-wide survey on the impact that concentration of media ownership has on journalism and journalists.

The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is distributing a questionnaire on the subject and would welcome members' input.

The NUJ General Secretary, Jeremy Dear, and the European Federation of Journalists fully support the project and would be grateful for your cooperation.

The questionnaire can be found at the following link:

http://www.osce.org/fom/survey/

Naturally, all information submitted will be treated in the strictest confidence.

Senior Scottish journalists are invited to attend an Edinburgh seminar entitled, "A Constitution for a Unified Europe: New Challenges for the European Union", which is to be held at Edinburgh University on 1st and 2nd September.

The seminar will be hosted by the European Academy Berlin following an initiative by the Berlin Foreign Office and aims to focus on the growing importance of the federal states and regions within Europe from a Scottish perspective but with specific relevance to Germany.

It is hoped that attention to the issues raised will contribute to greater transparency and understanding of these structures among European populations.

As there are only 20 places available, early application is advised. Single room accommodation is available for those who require it.

For further information, contact Carolin Krauss by telephone on
+49-30-89 59 51 18 or by e-mailing ck@eaue.de.

The International Federation of Journalists is calling for support in its protest against death sentences passed on two journalists in Afghanistan.

IFJ sources indicate that Sayeed Mirhassan Mahdawi and Ali Payam, the editor in chief and deputy editor of the Aftaab newspaper, were sentenced in their absence after students had protested outside the Aftaab offices.

The same sources claim that the Afghani Supreme Court passed the case onto its "fatwa department" - which returns findings based on Sharia Law - and ratified its decision that the men should face the capital penalty, citing religious references.

The IFJ President, Christopher Warren, has written to the President of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai, urging him to intervene to remove the threat of execution from the two men.

Karzai's appointment was supported by the UK and the US governments, following the military invasion of Afghanistan.

The IFJ is also urging supporters of the men to send their own appeals:

Condemning the death sentences

Calling on the Government to protest against the sentences and to ensure the safety of Mahdawi, Payam and their families

Calling on the Government of Afghanistan to refuse to implement the death sentence to and to review its laws on blasphemy

Appeals should be sent to:

Mr. Hamid Karzai
President
cc. Dr Abdullah Abdullah
Minister for Foreign Affairs
Email: contact@afghanistan-mfa.net

cc. H.E Mahmoud Saikal
Ambassador
Embassy of Afghanistan in Canberra
Email: admin@afghanembassy.net
Fax: (+61-2) 6282 7322

Please copy appeals to the IFJ Asia Office at ifj-asia@alliance.org.au

For more information contact Jacqui Park at ifj-asia@alliance.org.au

The NUJ is asking members to sign a petition in support of Adli Hawwari and Abdul-Hadi Jiad, who were summarily dismissed by the BBC, as they initiate legal proceedings against the corporation's governors.

They will be represented by Imran Khan, the noted human rights campaigner who acted for the family of Stephen Lawrence.

Speaking on the National NUJ website, Abdul-Hadi Jiad said: "We have recovered from the initial demonising onslaught from the BBC, firstly, because the claims were unfounded and, secondly, because people up and down the country don't believe their claims.

"The response from our colleagues, trade unions and other journalists here and abroad has been tremendous."

Further activities will be discussed at a meeting in Headland House, this evening.

The NUJ Equality Council is to run the union's first Banish the Bully seminar on 13th September.

The seminar, which will take place in the NUJ Manchester office, will be led by a General Federation of Trade Unions tutor.

Members interested in attending should contact Lena Calvert by emailing LenaC@nuj.org.uk or calling 0207 278 7916.

NUJ members were in buoyant mood, today, on hearing that an employment tribunal has ordered the reinstatement of their colleague, Eugenie Verney.

Eugenie, a sub-editor at Aberdeen Journals' Evening Express, was selected for redundancy as part of a cost-cutting measure in May 2002.

However, the NUJ supported her in arguing that she was made redundant because of her trade union activities - she is currently Chair of Grampian branch.

Giving evidence to the Aberdeen tribunal, NUJ Scottish Organiser, Paul Holleran, had expressed his conviction that Eugenie had been victimised for her union work.

He said: "I was totally unconvinced that her skills were less than other people's. She had trained up one of the people who was assessing her.

"I felt she had been singled out because of her NUJ activity."

The Aberdeen tribunal did not find sufficient evidence to uphold this claim or, notably, to suggest any other probable reason for Eugenie's dismissal.

However, the tribunal did find that her dismissal was unfair, as she was not offered alternative employment within the group, even though vacancies existed.

The tribunal decision fully vindicates Eugenie as a professional and as an employee and it is worth noting that reinstatement or re-engagement orders were issued in just 19 of the 4,100 successful unfair dismissal claims brought in the UK last year.

Aberdeen Journals has until 30th September to comply with the order, which also involves a cash payment to compensate Eugenie for her losses.

Reacting to the tribunal's order, Eugenie said: "I am delighted with the decision and hope that I will soon be re-joining my colleagues at Aberdeen Journals. I would like to thank the NUJ for pursuing the claim on my behalf - there is no way I could have done it on my own."

And she also had a special word for the Glasgow branch: "I've had enormous support from everyone in the union, officials and members, and I'd like to say an especially big 'thank-you' to Glasgow branch for your support and generosity.

"It's been a very tough year for me and my family and just knowing so many people have been rooting for me has made a huge difference."

Journalists, who have been forced to flee their home countries, are to be given a chance to restart their careers in the UK through an initiative supported by the NUJ.

The RAM (Refugees, Asylum-Seekers and Media) Project has been set up by the media charity, PressWise, to allow exiled journalists to market their skills to UK editors.

Central to the project is a directory of exiled journalists, which editors and employers are encouraged to consult when requiring the special insight that a journalist native to an overseas country might possess.

PressWise Director, Mike Jempson, explained: "The Directory lists the qualifications, experience and contact details of 43 media professionals from 24 countries, along with a short feature each has supplied about their lives.

"Some of the stories are shocking, and all of them demonstrate why it is important to provide a safe haven for those who suffer persecution."

The NUJ's General Secretary, Jeremy Dear, has given his full backing to the project saying: "Journalists the world over are on the receiving end of increasing repression and attack. The least we can do is to make sure that the talents of those who escape do not go to waste."

And Journalist Editor, Tim Gopsill, added: "The NUJ meets many exiles and knows from them the incredible frustration of being a journalist but unable to work - this on top of the frustrations that all refugees suffer in Britain. Anything that helps them must be welcomed."

The directory can be accessed by visiting the RAM Project website at www.ramproject.org.uk.

Specific questions can be addressed to Nick Medic, the RAM Communications Officer by telephone on 0117 941 5889.

There's guts, there's trade unionism and there's Dave Wilson.

As he was declared an NUJ Member of Honour at the union's 2003 Llandudno Annual Delegates Meeting, Dave described his first encounter, representing the union.

Having been left on a picket line while more experienced comrades wetted their whistles, "the biggest man I had ever seen" approached in a delivery van and shouted: "Hey, is this official?"

On young Dave's affirmative response, the driver turned back, prompting Dave to make what would turn out to be a historic declaration for the trade union movement: "Hey, this really works!"

He went on to change EU law on workers' rights.

Read Dave's story on NUJ member, Mike Wilson's website, Allmediascotland.com.

The NUJ has reacted angrily to the news that the Trinity Mirror group, which returned profits of £190 million last year, is to make 550 workers redundant.

Deputy General Secretary, John Fray responded: "At a time when profits are increasing, jobs are being cut. Does that mean that as profits get even higher they should sack more and more people? That seems to be the logic but it's treacherous.

"This group has done very well on the hard work of our members who have now have to worry whether they have a job."