The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) has shortlisted 8 candidates in the election to replace Tim Gopsill as the £50,000-a-year editor of the union’s magazine The Journalist.
The 8 are:
- Tim Arnold
- Christine Buckley
- Michael Cross
- Frank Morgan
- Richard Simcox
- Stephen David Tilley
- Steven Usher
- Mark Watts
Why I did not stand
People have asked me why I have not put myself up for election.
I was approached as someone who would ensure The Journalist stood independent of the union’s leadership – the editor is guaranteed that right within the NUJ’s rules.
I do believe I could do the job and do it well. My friends and trusted colleagues backed me. I began drawing up my vision, even a manifesto. I believe I could win against any opposition.
But then I realised I have too much to lose. I like my freelance life too much.
Freedom
I like my freedom. I can jump on my motorbike with the slightest notice. I can get on my bicycle and go for a ride, or dash off for a run round the park. I can spend days with my children. I can get away early to watch my son play cricket or be on hand to help with my daughter’s homework.
I love being there to cook family dinners and, on weeks like this, sitting in the office alongside my wife, Kate, often jointly working on a project and sharing lunch together.
And I can go to universities and schools and talk about journalism or recruit students to the NUJ, as I today at Westminster University.
Oh, and my work is much more diverse and interesting too.
Who to vote for?
I have not made up my mind about which candidate I will back or the order in which I will vote for them.
The Journalist could be the UK’s leading news and information source for journalists – doing the job Press Gazette struggles to do.
I wish all the candidates luck. Convince me you’ll revolutionise The Journalist and make full use of your rule-given independence from whoever the leadership is now or in the future.
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