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Fairfax Staff On Strike!
Posted by Clem Bastow at 5:30 PM on August 28, 2008
On Tuesday, Fairfax announced 550 job cuts across their editorial staff. On Wednesday, the first to go was The Age's editor-in-chief, Andrew Jaspan. And now, on Thursday, Fairfax staff are on strike until Monday!
Here's the word we were just sent via the Media Entertainment & Arts Alliance's handy SMS service, in two parts:
Received: 5:06pm
And then, shortly after:
Fairfax Sydney members are on strike effective immediatelyReceived: 5:23pm
In other words, all union members at Fairfax's main NSW and Victoria headquarters are now on strike, as is - assuming the print press workers are union members! - Melbourne's print press.
Fairfax Melb, Illawarra & Newcastle members are on strike effective immediately. AMWU @ Tullamarine printers also out.
Fairfax had better hope there aren't any 'late edition'-worthy stories this afternoon, unless the head honchos want to send them out by smoke signal!
You can follow any relevant updates (from the members' point of view) at the MEAA's dedicated website, www.fairgofairfax.org.au.
Comments
Chris
Posted August 28, 2008 10:22 PM
On strike you say?
So we should expect an increase in the quality of the copy then?
Dr Clinton Fernandes
Posted August 29, 2008 10:15 PM
The Thin Black Line
Dr Clinton Fernandes
UNSW @ the Australian Defence Force Academy
Saturday 30th August is the ninth anniversary of the independence ballot in East Timor. Fairfax journalists were at the forefront of covering the events of those turbulent, dangerous and unforgettable times. At the height of the crisis, with the Indonesian military and its militia thugs going on a rampage against the civilians of East Timor, The Age’s Jakarta correspondent, Lindsay Murdoch, The Sydney Morning Herald’s Hamish McDonald and Louise Williams, and Indonesian-based journalist Zannuba Wahid provided coverage of immeasurable value to the Australian public and the international community.
Decades ago, another Fairfax journalist named David Jenkins began his first overseas posting to Indonesia. Arriving in 1967, he grew in experience to become a highly knowledgeable expert on Indonesian affairs. His landmark 1986 article on elite corruption was a story of international significance. It resulted in a furious reaction by the Indonesian dictator at the time. In hindsight, his article (“After Marcos, now for the Suharto billions”) is regarded as a watershed moment, and even today remains required reading for university students across the nation.
Brendan Nicholson, another Fairfax journalist, has provided crucial coverage of Australian defence and security issues. Much of what the Australian public knows about these matters can be traced back to his investigative reporting.
Tom Hyland, foreign editor at The Age, managed to obtain a leaked copy of the Indonesia-East Timor Commission of Truth and Friendship in June 2008. His scoop threw a spotlight on an important story that many people in power had hoped would be ignored. He has also played a pivotal role in The Age’s coverage of the September 11 terrorist attacks, the war in Afghanistan and the war in Iraq.
These and other Fairfax journalists have been the thin black line standing between the Australian public and the forces of ignorance and obfuscation. It is important to acknowledge their contribution to the vitality of Australian democracy and regional security.
Ends...
Dr Clinton Fernandes is Senior Lecturer in Strategic Studies at the University of New South Wales. He has never been a journalist nor a member of the journalists’ union. These are his personal views, unsolicited by any journalist.