The NUJ has just released the results of a survey which show:
Nine out of ten journalists who responded to a survey by media union NUJ said they had been affected by bullying. The survey, carried out on the union's website, showed that 74 per cent of respondents had themselves been bullied whilst a further 18 per cent had witnessed it happening in their workplace.
Declaration: I am an NUJ member
I'd question the methodology behind the survey as it is one that would draw as respondents those that had been bullied.
Nonetheless, bullying in journalism remains a problem as it is hectic, ego-driven, the personnel training is rubbish (they teach you shorthand but not how to skills in dealing with colleagues), there are too many men in senior positions and the industry is about ten to 20 years behind others in basic HR practices.
People join trade unions for lots of reasons and mostly as an 'insurance policy'.
Making sure you've got someone standing behind you with a big stick should some Neanderthal news editor decide to throw his weight around is worth £15 a month.
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