The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) is worried over the high turnover of experienced journalists who leave the industry due to a series of budget cuts in the newsroom.

NUJ secretary-general Hong Boon How said the problem lay in the race for profits by major media companies but which is being done at the expense of good journalism.

"The print media here should not forget that their licences are not given free but comes attached with a social obligation to the public and the country in providing accurate information," he said.

"Good journalism involves upholding the citizen's right to receive accurate information and to provide them an avenue for criticism and comments concerning matters of public interest."

In a democratic country, he said, a free press is a very important institution which should not be shackled by commercial concerns.

Hong was asked to respond to a statement by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) yesterday claiming that newspaper bosses were sacrificing media quality by using press freedom as the bogeyman.

Rejecting what he described as "absurd scare mongering" on press freedom, IFJ general secretary Aidan White said journalists are now blaming the bosses for the decline in quality journalism.

"Newspaper employers are using press freedom as a 'cynical shield' to cover up cuts in editorial spending that journalists say have eroded the quality of news reporting around the world," he said.

Ethical standards undermined

"Media employers are trying to avoid international scrutiny of the impact of industry cost-cutting in newsrooms."

He said press freedom and good journalism depended upon "a confident, robust and vigorous newsroom" but employers were "constantly undermining ethical standards and editorial independence which damages morale and leads to excessive self-censorship".

White was speaking at a tripartite meeting of employers, media staff and governments to discuss quality of work in the Information Society hosted by the International Labour Organisation in Geneva. The IFJ statement was released yesterday.

He also took to task the World Association of Newspapers and the European Newspaper Publishers Association for "absurd scare mongering" in a protest over the meeting discussing editorial quality.

"This is an unconvincing attempt to escape responsibility by using press freedom as a cynical shield," he said.

"Employment policies, attacks on authors' rights and the creation of a vulnerable underclass of poorly-paid freelance, have undermined the editorial independence of journalists."

Fighting back

He said for years journalists had witnessed dramatic cuts in spending on jobs and budgets with a shocking impact on newsroom morale and editorial quality.

"It is laughable that bosses guilty of creating the conditions for falling standards and particularly for trying to demolish the traditional wall between editorial and advertising in newspapers are
now yelping about press freedom," added White.

He said journalists are fighting back now and hopes that all staff in all sectors of the media industry who are striving for higher quality and better working conditions will get global support.

"No one will take newspaper employer complaints seriously unless they, too, show a willingness to put standards and quality back on the newsroom agenda," he added.

The IFJ wants the meeting to come up with proposals to halt the slide in standards and to support efforts by journalists' groups and others to raise quality standards throughout media.

The NUJ is an affiliate of the IFJ which represents over 500,000 journalists in more than 100 countries.

Providing the Malaysian scenario, Hong said although commercial concerns does matter in ensuring economic survival of the print and electronic media, it should be balanced by upholding the people's right to know.

Striking a balance

Over-emphasis on advertising revenue which compromises journalistic ethics and quality, he argued, would spell the end of business sustainability.

"If quality of journalism drops, consumers will abandon newspapers or the electronic media and revert to online sources of information. The key is to strike a balance between commercial interests and editorial content."

Six years ago, when ex-premier Anwar Ibrahim's ouster from government led to major street demonstrations and mass arrests, Hong said many people stopped reading major dailies or watch national television.

"Instead, they turned to online media for alternative news and views which included accurate and objective reporting."

He, however, declined to specify the newspapers concerned and was unable to provide actual figures of complaints regarding the high turnover of experienced journalists leaving the industry.

"It is regrettable that the labour component is the first to fall victim when a media company decides on newsroom budget cuts, spelling a reduction in overtime claims, a wage freeze or minimal increment and minimal wage adjustment," he said, referring to several recent verbal complaints to the NUJ.

"This will undoubtedly have a negative impact on staff morale, especially when everyone knows that the company is recording profits. How can you justify clamping down on legitimate claims while raking in profits?"

If left unattended, he said, this would encourage senior journalists to leave for greener pastures, set up their own public relations companies or join the wire news agencies for a bigger pay packet.

"This is a worrying trend because then we have many inexperienced people entering the profession to fill up the vacuum and quality suffers as a result," added Hong.

NUJ currently has 1,400 members employed with seven local print media companies.