text:
The Future
for Local and
Regional Media
Submission to the
Culture Media and Sport
Select Committee Inquiry
May 2009
The NUJ represents 38,000 journalists working in all
sectors of the media.
We have very serious concerns about the future of
local media and believe that government action is
required to ensure it thrives the future. This submission
gives extensive evidence about the cutbacks in
local journalism and how they are impacting on the
ability of our members to do their jobs effectively. It
includes first-hand reports from journalists dealing with
cutbacks as well as concrete examples of how communities
are losing out on quality local news.
The concerns highlighted here are shared by our
members across the industry, as well as by leading
journalism commentators and academics.
The NUJ believes public assistance is valid and necessary
to support journalism not to prop up a failing
business model. Assistance is necessary in certain circumstances
to help the industry move towards a more
public service oriented industry with a range of ownership
and business models and a diversity and plurality
of voices. We do not believe unconditional assistance
should be provided to an industry which is operating
on a business model that is unsustainable.
Media ownership rules
Cross-media ownership rules should be reformed to
take in to account the increasingly multimedia nature
of many newsrooms and media organisations.
However, such a move does not negate the need for
enforceable regulation of media ownership which is
crucial to maintaining the diversity of voices and plurality
of media at a local and national level which is
vital to the democratic process and providing competition
in local news markets.
There should be a stronger public interest test, including
a specific requirement to establish whether a
merger will impact adversely on newsgathering - a
position advocated by the House of Lords
Communications Committee.
We do not believe newspaper media ownership regulations
should be relaxed to allow greater concentration
of local and regional newspaper ownership.
Consolidation of newspaper groups has been a major
factor in reducing resources for newsgathering.
Further consolidation would accelerate the trend
which saw Newsquest, for example, cut 2000 jobs in
three years.
Maintaining and improving plurality should be a key
priority for any action to support the local media.
We also have a number of concerns about the impact
on plurality of proposals for the BBC to share
resources with ITV, or possibly other organisations in
the future.
Future funding models
We are opposed to the use of licence fee funding to
support commercial media organisations. New funding
sources must be found. We believe that the use of
regulatory assets such as spectrum should be maximised
to support public service broadcasters and
levies and tax breaks considered as alternative methods
of raising revenues.
We believe that ITV continues to be best placed to
offer a commercial alternative to the BBC. However,
we would support the idea of a Scottish pilot of the
independent news consortia idea, as recently outlined
by Ofcom. Any such moves would need to take
account of existing ITV/STV/UTV employees' employment
Taking a broader view of the local media, a variety of
incentives to invest in quality journalism could be
developed, including:
l Tax breaks for local media who meet clearly defined
public purposes
l Giving individuals annual tax credits for their spend
on daily newspapers which meet criteria around original
l Eliminate postal rates for current affairs/news periodicals
that garner less than 20% of their revenue
from advertising
l Provide tax credits for online subscriptions
l An expansion of funding for public and community
broadcasting at a local level with a requirement that
the majority of the funds are used directly for original
l The strategic use of central and local government
We believe that the way in which content aggregators,
such as Google, who do not pay for the content on
which they make money, needs to be examined.
An assessment should also be made of how central
and local government, plus regional development
authorities and other bodies, could support the startup
of new local media organisations.
Other issues
We believe that there is a role for local authority publications,
particularly where public interest objectives
cannot be effectively met through existing media. We
also believe that action should be taken by the government
to support journalistic training, with a particular
focus on improving access to the profession for
people from socio-economic groups that are currently
In addition to this submission, the NUJ requests that it
be invited to give oral evidence to the committee on
this important inquiry.
We welcome the opportunity to submit evidence
on behalf of 38,000 members working in all sectors
of the media to this vital and timely inquiry.
Central to the NUJ's submission is the need to support
quality journalism in the public interest. There can be
great debate about platforms, business models, regulations
and technologies but central to this debate
must be the need to maintain and grow the availability
of quality journalism across a range of providers.
The impact on local media of recent and
future developments in digital convergence,
media technology and changing consumer
It is often said not much happens in Milton Keynes
which is just as well because as the NUJ's workplace
representative said, if it did, they would not have the
staff to cover it.
"With fewer staff...there is simply too much to do.
Trips out of the office are a rarity. Most of the
team...are resigned to the fact that their job is to sit
obediently and churn, churn, churn. One of the most
gut-wrenching things is that there's no time to train the
trainees, so they think this is what journalists do - sit
at desks, sifting through press releases, making hurried
phone calls, churning out, making do".
Karen Jeffrey, former Features Editor,
Milton Keynes Citizen
Since Karen wrote that in 2008 the situation facing
local media has got worse. ITV have cut almost 1000
jobs, ITV local and regional news has suffered substantial
cuts - in some cases output has been halved -
hundreds of editorial jobs have been cut at the BBC
and thousands lost across regional and local newspapers.
In the past 12 months alone the NUJ has documented
more than 1500 job losses in newspapers, including
Manchester, Norwich, Bolton, Leicester, Derby,
Reading, Cambridge, Northampton, Belfast,
Bournemouth, York, Glasgow, London, Newcastle,
Liverpool and in virtually every town and city in the
There is without doubt a crisis in local media - but the
explanations of many media owners for the state they
find themselves in today are too simplistic and seek to
divert attention from the failure of the business model
which is killing journalism at a local level.
In the 1980s and 1990s - an era of massive media
profits and a loosening of media ownership laws - we
saw enormous consolidation of media companies,
increasing profitability and increased rewards for
shareholders until a high point around 2005.
"Shareholders are always our top priority.
The 29%dividend increase in July brought to $1.60
our annualized rate of return per share. It was the
39th increase since Gannett became a public
company.... We remain committed to returning
more value to shareholders."
Craig A.Dubow, Gannett Chairman, President and Chief
Executive Officer, in the Gannett 2007 Annual Report.
Gannett own Newsquest one of the UK's largest regional
newspaper publishers.
From then on changing public consumption habits
started to affect the profitability of companies. No
longer could they achieve 30-40% profit ratios as
many local media companies had for many years.
Instead of adjusting their business model or accepting
lower levels of profitability they borrowed money to
fuel further consolidation, set about implementing further
job cuts in largely non-editorial areas in order to
maintain profit levels far in excess of that achieved in
most UK industries. As the change in consumer habits
accelerated the failure to invest huge profits in quality
new media content was cruelly exposed as companies
rushed to try to compete with new players who failed
to provide news but were taking advertising.
Companies such as Newsquest, one of the largest
regional newspaper publishers, owned by US media
giant Gannett, largely fuelled its move to new media
by asking staff to volunteer for extra hours or as Press
Gazette reported "the online challenge is being met by
forcing already over-worked trainees to work evenings
and weekends for no extra cash".
Despite the claims by media organisations to have
invested in a transition to web operations, an NUJ survey,
conducted in 2007, showed that 65.6% of workplaces
had recruited no additional staff to work on the
company's web operations and that 64.3% believed
Trinity Mirror's latest annual report shows that profits
for 2008 were �145.2m, of which the regionals
division contributed �68.2m. The operating profit
margin total for all business operations was 16.66%.
Shareholders received a dividend payout of 3.2p per
share. Chief Executive Sly Bailey received more
than �1,000,000 in salary and pension contributions
- the equivalent of around 50 journalists. The company
has recently closed its Liverpool print site
which "has significantly reduced investment
requirements going forward and also frees up a
prime city centre property for disposal by the end of
2009". Sly Bailey says she believes the company
will be profitable in 2009 and 2010 and beyond.
Between 1999 and 2007 editorial and production
staff were cut by 31%. As a result 84% of staff
believe their workload has increased.
existing staff workloads had increased as a result of
the transition to online publishing. This inevitably
raised fears about the quality of the work being produced
and the ability to be able to cover such a broad
range of stories in as much depth.
In March this year, the Press Complaints Commission
identified a decline in the standard of online journalism
and expressed concerns about the impact of cutbacks
on accuracy. The outgoing chairman Sir Christopher
Meyer said: "We've noticed some wobble in standards
in areas of online reporting where it's clear the pressures
of time and the 24-hour news cycle may have
lead people to put up stories which haven't been thoroughly
The onset of recession, coupled with massive debt
(Johnston Press is saddled with net debts of around
�477m) and the continuing structural changes affecting
the industry have hit media companies hard.
Channel 3 companies claim their public service obligations,
despite the fact they have been severely
reduced in the past two years, now cost more than the
value of their licence.
Mired in debt and facing falling profits, the managers
of corporate media firms seek to right the sinking ship
by cutting costs, leading remaining readers, viewers,
listeners to ask why they are bothering to pay for publications
that are pale shadows of themselves.
The media industry is fundamentally profitable but the
business model is killing quality journalism. (Appendix A
sets out the profits and financial rewards reaped by current
media owners).
The recession or the internet did not cause the crisis
in journalism. The economic situation and internet
have greatly accentuated and accelerated a process
that can be traced back to the 1970s, when corporate
ownership and consolidation of newspapers took off. It
was then that new corporate owners started demanding
bigger returns and managers, to satisfy such
demands, responded by cutting journalists and undermining
Like other critics, Williams rightly points to the
fact that the conglomerates were failing well
before the arrival of the recession. The underlying
problems of local newspapers will not be solved
by the further underwriting of publishers who
were responsible for those failings.
Roy Greenslade
The NUJ believes public assistance is valid and necessary
to support journalism not to prop up a failing
business model. Assistance is necessary in certain circumstances
to help the industry move towards a more
public service oriented industry with a range of ownership
and business models and a diversity and plurality
of voices. We do not believe unconditional assistance
should be provided to an industry which is operating
on a business model that is unsustainable.
We should be careful before rushing to provide any
public assistance to those who helped bring about the
crisis they are facing. It is them who paid too much for
titles to fuel consolidation. It is them who cut journalists
- thereby helping accelerate a decline in viewers,
listeners and readers. It is they who failed to reinvest
the billions of pounds which have been handed to
shareholders across the world and which are lost to
Roy Greenslade:
On decisions by the leaders of the big regional
press companies:
But, overall, they performed just as they were
obliged by the ruthless logic of an economic
system that demands ever-increasing profits.
To do that, they kept a close eye on "costs",
ensuring that the staffing of mechanical jobs
involved in newspaper production were pared
to the bone. There was little fat to cut by the
time, about five years or so ago, that revenue
began to fall away, as the rivers of gold (aka
classified ads) flowed towards internet sites
the papers did not own. Yet the insistent
demands of the market meant that profits must
be maintained.
So who could be cut next? The answer, sadly,
was journalists. I ought to say right away that
not all journalists were productive. There probably
was a need for greater efficiency.
But the net result of the cuts was a diminution
of journalism, a gradual and inexorable move
away from the kind of coverage that informed
the admittedly declining audiences about what
was happening in their towns and cities. I am
not exaggerating. Several editors and at least
one very highly-placed executive - all of whom
wish to remain anonymous - have told me that
the routine reporting of courts and councils
have been in decline for a least a decade.
All of them also blame the nature of corporate
newspaper ownership. Gone were the owners
and executives who really cared about what
their newspapers published.
Evening Standard, 1 April 2009
local economies. It is they who decided to give away
expensive online content for free in order to try to
secure a larger market share.
Decisions about the future should be taken on the
basis of the whole business cycle not just its low point.
Public assistance should consider the interests of local
communities not just the media companies. Public
assistance should be conditional. Conditions should
seek to ensure assistance directly benefits local journalism
rather than shareholders.
The impact of newspaper closures on
independent local journalism and access
to local information
Around 60 local newspapers have closed in the past
twelve months. The Long Eaton Advertiser, owned by
Trinity Mirror (profits last year �145.2m) was closed
not because the people of Long Eaton don't want
news about their community, but because of "difficult
trading conditions".
The Long Eaton Advertiser was a victim of the current
business model for local news. Trinity Mirror cut back
on staff. Fewer reporters were required to do more
work. Stories went uncovered. Support for the paper
fell as a result. Printing was transferred to Tamworth.
The paper began to lose its identity. It moved its office
out of the town. A cycle of decline fed off itself.
In these circumstances companies should be forced to
divest of the title and allow the local community to put
together a consortium - an independent trust - involving
the staff, local business, community organisations,
the local authority to take over running the title.
The problem with most local newspapers - in both
their print and web forms - is the lack of unique,
meaningful content. Readers are deserting the
local press in their tens of thousands because the
decline in the service being offered has become
an unstoppable descent: circulations and revenues
fall while online growth stalls so quality is
cut leading to further sales and revenue falls
leading to further cutbacks.
Justin Williams, assistant editor with the Telegraph
group on his personal blog:
But The Long Eaton Advertiser is for now rare. It is not
so much newspaper closures -- but the gutting of
newspapers editorial staff which is having the biggest
impact on local journalism and citizens' access to
information and which unless it is reversed will lead to
more closures.
Around 20-25% of staff have been cut from local
newspapers in the last twelve months. Northcliffe
recently announced 1000 job cuts, Trinity Mirror 1200.
Roy Greenslade has noted that "the public are already
losing out: important court cases are not being covered,
councils are not being held to account, journalists
are spending their days rewriting PR material".
Paul Potts, chief executive of the Press Association,
said recently that judges had been complaining to him
that "important trials were going unreported because
newspapers have cut back on their number of journalists".
Cardiff University produced a report in 2008 which
included a study of how PR-originated material often
wins greater mainstream coverage than more newsworthy
original stories. The research concluded that
the study "suggests not only that dependence on PR
is shaping news values, but that it is keeping more
newsworthy material out of the news." This is a direct
result of the reductions in the numbers of journalists
and newsgatherers.
Statistics provided by Cardiff University as part of an
earlier report show that 92% of local media journalists
surveyed claim they now use more PR copy in stories
than they used to and 80% said they use the wires
more often.
In his book Flat Earth News, Nick Davies analyses the
work of local newspaper reporters. In one typical
example he surveys a journalist who does 48 stories
in a week, speaks to 26 people, sees only 4 face to
face and only spends 3 out of 45.5 hours outside the
As Nick Davies says: "This is churnalism"
Our own surveys of members have shown a decline in
the numbers of journalists regularly covering court or
local councils, with some members reporting that even
in major cities a journalist only attends the local council
for the most important debates. The number of specialist
political correspondents has declined. There are
now fewer specialist crime, court, health and education
correspondents working in local newspapers.
Sheffield Newspapers now has just nine news
reporters, compared to around 30 ten years ago.
A journalist in Birmingham reported: "There is
increased use of Press Association copy, even for
local events (which was unheard of a couple of years
ago). There is now copying/rewriting from national
newspapers/radio/TV and fewer original investigations.
There is less checking of facts, we just take everything
at face value."
Five day a week titles such as the Reading (Evening)
Post are now to be published twice-weekly. Fewer editions
mean late or breaking news will be lost or
localised content is cut. Hundreds of pages of editorial
coverage have been lost every week. Job cuts among
specialists mean there will be a loss of expertise. For
example the papers in Newcastle lost their Rugby correspondent,
in Gloucester they lost their health correspondent,
in Liverpool their Parliamentary correspondent.
The story is the same across large parts of the
newspaper industry.
Birmingham Post and Mail, plus associated titles
l16 offices ten years ago, down to four today
l Around 230 journalists five years ago, today it's
about 160.
l Seven courts/crime specialists and nine business
specialists ten years ago, today just three and six
l The following specialists have all now been lost:
transport, home affairs, showbiz correspondent, industrial
correspondent, community affairs editor, cricket
correspondent, non-league football correspondent and
three chief reporters.
At many centres, news desks, sub-editors and journalists
are being moved to centralised locations, often
dozens of miles away from the communities served by
the titles. It means the people making key decisions
about what to cover and how to report it are being
taken by people who may have very limited knowledge
of the local area.
All this damages the ability of papers and websites to
bring the social benefits of a vibrant media to their
local communities.
It is not just newspapers but public service journalism
which is under threat.
Budget cuts at ITV, job cuts at the BBC, financial
pressures on ITN's news budget are all having an
Under the new set-up, ITV has no bureau in Dorset.
The whole county is covered by one correspondent
working from home. Similarly, there is no bureau in
Wiltshire, with the whole county being covered by one
reporter working from home.
The cutbacks across the West/Westcountry region
illustrate changes taking place across the ITV networks.
Regions that were, to much fanfare, divided up
into separate more local programmes, were a short
period later axed, returning to large regions. Viewers
in the Border region now get their news from
In local radio news hubs have severely reduced the
numbers of journalists covering local areas. For example,
until a recent reorganisation, listeners to 2BR in
Burnley were served by three local journalists, Silk FM
in Macclesfield had two journalists, Dune FM
employed two local journalists and Dee 106 in Chester
had one journalist based in the town. Now all listeners
to these stations get their 'local' news from a hub in
Pete Lazenby, union
representative, Yorkshire Post:
Johnston Press is the newspaper equivalent of
HBOS and Northern Rock. The company's debts
are now ten times the size of its share value.
This situation exists because management handed
out hundreds of millions of pounds in bonuses
and dividends to directors and shareholders while
at the same time borrowing hundreds of millions
of pounds for an over-ambitious acquisition programme.
Its chief executive Tim Bowdler pocketed millions
in bonuses, pay and pension despite overseeing
this appalling financial situation.
The company is now demanding that we pay for
its mismanagement with our jobs.
The ballot result is indicative of the strength of
feeling at our papers. We hope it sends a message
to management. We hope it will also encourage
other Johnston Press offices to take action.
But this isn't just about jobs. It is about the quality
of our newspapers. Standards are falling
because of continual cuts in budgets and staffing
levels. Our papers are suffering a spiral of falling
circulations, more cuts, more lost readers.
We are proud of our papers - some of us have
worked for our publications for decades, serving
our communities and spearheading campaigns.
We are appealing to our readers for support.
Case study: impact of ITV's cutbacks on newsgathering in its merged
West/Westcountry region
Facilities before regions were merged Impact of the merger
Plymouth - main site Shut - replaced with small bureau staffed by 1 correspondent, 2 reporters
Penzance bureau Shut
Weymouth bureau Shut
Barnstaple bureau Shut - replaced by 1 reporter working from home
Taunton bureau Shut - replaced by 1 correspondent, 1 reporter working from home
Gloucester bureau Shut - replaced by 1 correspondent working from home
Exeter bureau Remains - staffing cut to 1 correspondent, 1 reporter
Truro bureau Remains - staffing cut to 1 correspondent, 1 reporter
Burnley which employs just four journalists, half the
original level of staffing. Three of the four stations now
get their local news from a centre at least an hour's
drive away from the towns they serve.
The centralisation of news into these hubs not only
removes journalists many miles from the communities
they serve but, as this sector is one with a traditionally
high turnover, it means that in many cases, local news
could be produced by people who have never visited
the towns they serve.
The desirability of changes to the
regulatory framework for print and
electronic local media, including crossmedia
ownership and merger regulations
Between 1995 and 2007 �7.3bn was spent on mergers
and acquisitions of newspapers. In 1996, ownership
of one-third of all regional newspapers changed
hands. In the last six months of 2005, Johnston Press
spent more than �500m buying local papers. As a
result of all this activity there has been a marked consolidation
of newspaper ownership - from 200 companies
in 1992 to 87 by 2005 (of which 38 owned just a
single newspaper). Today there are just four companies
who control over 70% of the market. In commercial radio just four companies have an
almost 80% share of the market.
The case for such consolidation was then, as now,
that it would offer the prospect of substantial
economies of scale and cost efficient operation.
Instead the impact of consolidation on local newspapers
and local radio has been a narrowing of the
range and diversity of editorial voices and massive job
cuts, sometimes driven by creating regional
hubs/newsrooms, subbing pools covering a number of
As the Campaign for Press and Broadcasting
Freedom submission to the OFT states: "Centralising
production in regional hubs also leads to the closure
of local offices and removes journalists from their
communities, further undermining what should be the
unique selling point of a local paper - genuine local
The NUJ believes that:
l Cross-media ownership rules should be reformed to
take in to account the increasingly multimedia nature
of many newsrooms and media organisations.
l However, such a move does not negate the need
for enforceable regulation of media ownership which is
crucial to maintaining the diver sity of voices and plurality
of media at a local and national level which is
vital to the democratic process and providing competition
in local news markets.
l There should be a stronger public interest test,
Chris Bullivant's OFT submission:
Their zeal for mergers is no secret...but they have
hidden their true motives behind a spurious argument
that the current rules negates their ability to
turn the threat of digital media to their print businesses
into an opportunity. Newspaper publishers
had, and indeed in many ways, still have the
ability to be the number one choice for the public
on the web. They have just not gone about it very
well, as evidenced by the Fish4 failure.
And backed it with the implicit threat that there
will be hundreds of closures and thousands of
job losses unless they are allowed to consolidate
their position. The reality is that all of these large
groups built themselves on a sea of debt which
has become unrepayable... Their answer to their
impatient backers is: "Don't worry - we'll get the
government to change the rules so that the four
of us can carve the market up profitably again.
Those that want to get out, get out clean, those
who remain clean up the marketplace."
Is it really the job of the government in a free
market to allow the creation of even greater
monopolies to save these companies from their
own bad business judgement?
Coventry Newspapers
Five years ago the company had offices in
Coventry, Nuneaton, Rugby, Leamington,
Hinckley and Bedworth. Today only the Coventry
and Hinckley offices remain.
The company, which employed around 90 journalists
ten years ago, now has less than half that
number on its books - around 40. Many of these
cutbacks have been in production roles, with
large parts of editorial work now done at Trinity
Mirror's news factory at Fort Dunlop in
Birmingham. This means papers and websites are
being produced miles away from their target audiences.
However, newsgathering has also been hit. The
last ten years has seen the following decline in
journalists: from eight photographers to four
(50%); from six sports journalists to four (33%);
from 16 news reporters to 11 (31%).
What does this mean? One member commented:
We don't do fire calls before the night shift goes
off any more. That means we don't talk to the
people who actually dealt with the night incidents.
We only have one reporter in on Saturdays
now. We used to have four.
We only have four photographers. We used to
have eight.
We don't have someone routinely in both courts
We have the city divided into reporting patches
but we don't have enough general reporters to
including a specific requirement to establish whether a
merger will impact adversely on newsgathering - a
position advocated by the House of Lords
Communications Committee.
l We do not believe newspaper media ownership regulations
should be relaxed to allow greater concentration
of local and regional newspaper ownership.
Consolidation of newspaper groups has been a major
factor in reducing resources for newsgathering.
Further consolidation would accelerate the trend
which saw Newsquest, for example, cut 2000 jobs in
three years. Newspaper publisher Chris Bullivant said
in his evidence to the OFT review of media mergers:
"If merger and consolidation is allowed in to two big
groups, they will have an even greater stranglehold on
the marketplace...and the ability to charge advertisers
what they like and dish up whatever quality of journalism
to readers they feel is adequate".
Ownership of the media should be considered separately
from ownership of other assets.
In 2001 the Government published a consultation
paper on media ownership which stated that "a
healthy democracy depends on the culture of dissent
and argument, which would inevitably be diminished if
there were only a limited number of providers of
news". The previous Conservative Government said:
"A free and diverse media are an indispensable part of
the democratic process..."
The Competition Commission in its evidence to the
House of Lords Committee on Communications's consideration
of Ownership of the News (URL) stated:
"Media mergers in particular may raise plurality concerns
because they might concentrate newspaper and
other media ownership in too few hands, to the detriment
of the quality of journalism and broadcasting".
The Committee's report concludes that: "We do not
accept that the increase of news sources invalidates
the case for special treatment of the media through
ownership regulation. We believe that there is still a
danger that if media ownership becomes too concentrated
the diversity of voices available could be diminished".
Media companies argue they have internal safeguards
to protect against any detrimental impact of consolidation
of ownership. We disagree. The House of Lords
Committee which concluded: "We do not believe that
an internal company structure can be an adequate
substitute for competition law and statutory regulation
in ensuring that no single voice becomes too powerful.
We are clear that regulation to ensure plurality of
media ownership is still relevant and necessary".
It continues: "Neither the public interest considerations
for newspaper mergers nor those for broadcasting and
cross-media mergers include any requirement to
establish that a merger will not adversely affect professional
newsgathering and investigative journalism.
This is a significant omission given the evidence which
showed that it is the expensive job of news gathering
that is suffering the most...there is no evidence that
the economies of scale that consolidation brings necessarily
lead to investment in news gathering". Indeed
the contrary is the case.
The report recommends not only strengthening the
public interest considerations but "that the public interest
considerations for newspaper mergers and broadcasting
and cross-media mergers are amended to
refer specifically to a need to establish whether a
merger will impact adversely on news gathering".
Dominic Ponsford, Editor, Press
I'm deeply suspicious of the big regional newspaper
players' calls to do away with regulation.
Former Johnston Press chairman Roger Parry
told me last month that there was no case in editorial
terms for saying that regional press mergers
will harm plurality of coverage.
He said: "Every piece of evidence demonstrates
that local editors remain locally autonomous."
Yet just the next day it emerged that the longserving
group editors of his company's
Eastbourne and Hastings-based local newspaper
groups had both been sacked to be replaced by a
group managing director from another part of the
The fear that the big regional newspaper groups
aren't the best custodians of local journalism
comes from the fact that even in the boom years
they cut editorial costs to the bone in pursuit of
ever higher profit margins of 30 per cent plus.
Many believe that private owners who are more
committed to journalism and their local communities
- and who are willing to invest while taking
out sustainable profits - would be a better bet.
It may be that it takes companies with the clout of
Trinity Mirror and Johnston Press to make the
investment needed to create new multimedia
newsrooms - as they are doing in places like
Birmingham and Preston.
But I hope that Burnham and the Office of Fair
Trading ensure they protect smaller independent
local news players when they reform press merger
and competition rules.
The big regional newspaper groups are used to
playing hardball when it comes to competition -
and it would be a tragedy if they were allowed to
squash the many new local news start-ups which
are bound to follow as a result of their current
retreat from many communities.
"Consolidation has been bad for diversity and
Darius Walker, New York bureau chief CNN
Both Ofcom and Ministers should have the right to
trigger and initiate such a public interest test - seeking
evidence from industry unions as well as employers
about the likely impact.
Any amendment to the media merger regime should
have the public interest as a primary consideration
with the ability to put enforceable conditions in respect
of investment in newsgathering and the production of
original journalism on any merger.
In the case of companies such as Guardian Media
Group in Greater Manchester their ownership of
dozens of titles in a regional monopoly has resulted in
them closing a number of offices in local communities
and centralising all staff in their Manchester head
office. MPs and others have complained at the impact
that will have on newsgathering. The same company
has closed offices in Esher and Aldershot, transferring
those journalists whose jobs haven't been cut to
Add to that list dozens of other companies busy centralising
production and newsgathering and you have
a vision of what will happen on a greater scale with
further consolidation.
The Bury Times, which has been based in the town for
more than 150 years has now been predominantly
moved to Bolton, with just one journalist left in the
town on a rota basis. Just weeks after this change
was announced, it was decided to move production of
the paper even further away to Blackburn.
In Macclesfield the newspaper now comes from
Manchester and the local radio from Burnley.
Newsquest's Malvern Gazette has been moved from
Malvern town centre to be produced in Worcester. The
Burton Mail has closed three weekly offices and production
of Northcliffe's Tamworth Herald is now done
in Stoke, a move that came at the same time as cuts
in reporters and a slashing of the company's Stokebased
photographers by a third.
Swaffham in Norfolk is losing the office of its local
paper under plans that would see a reporter occasionally
setting up shop in the local caf�. These plans fail
to recognise the value of having journalists in the town
- so they're there when news breaks and have the
contacts to really know what's going on.
The same group, Archant, has closed offices in
Halesworth, Stowmarket, Harleston and Woodbridge.
This isn't about saving the cost of remote offices, it is
about cutting back on journalists - the latter two of
these 'offices' consisted of journalists working from
home. It means all content covering these areas is
now produced from Ipswich.
In South Wales Trinity Mirror has closed its offices in
Aberdare, Ebbw Vale and Neath. It has suggested that
reporters could occasionally visit the town and base
themselves in the premises of other organisations, but
to date even this proposal has yet to be enacted, so
the towns have to be covered from elsewhere.
One impact of consolidation has been creating regional
clusters and moving print of newspapers from local
sites to larger regional operations. The consequence
of this according to the Campaign for Press and
Broadcasting Freedom "for newspaper deadlines is
that evening papers like the Yorkshire Evening Post
are prepared for publication the day before with only a
few last minute changes possible".
Andrew Grant Adamson, journalism academic:
The failed approach to business which got them
into this mess well before more recent financial
Professor Roy Greenslade
They are compelled to do whatever is possible to
generate profits, even if it means reducing competition
and instituting cuts that reduce the quantity
and quality of their papers.
For journalists - and, most importantly, for the
public - this could be disastrous. It does threaten
democracy. Information will not reach the people.
Local power will not be held to account.
The paradox is that this is the very argument
advanced by publishers as they lobby government.
There is a black irony in watching them
close papers and cutting editorial staffs to the
bone at their existing titles while shedding tears
for "the public."
Why should we believe that a merger between,
say, Trinity Mirror and Johnston Press will solve
the problem. It would allow a reduction in printing
plants. There may well be further economies of
scale. It may well, for a time at least, boost profits
and help to reverse the stock price decline.
But it is very doubtful if it will sort out the colossal
debts and the problems of funding pension
schemes. It will most certainly not lead to the rehiring
of journalists. It will not improve the public
service element of papers.
Are we to believe that larger companies formed
for the express purpose of making profits will
invest more in journalism? That they will suddenly
say to editors, hire more people, get them out
into the streets, into the courts and into council
problems, was based on mergers and acquisitions.
Corporate mergers seldom benefit customers,
staff or shareholders: often the people
with most to gain are the lawyers, accountants
and investment bankers who can make the deal
look pretty on paper... The best hope for the future
here is more diverse ownership of local papers.
Such moves have only been possible because of control
of the local newspaper market. Allowing further
consolidation will do nothing to address the problem. It
will only make things worse.
The view of one NUJ member in Yorkshire, who has
worked in local newspapers for the last 20 years,
throughout many restructures and takeovers: "It is
essential that further mergers are not allowed: they
are the reason present owners have arrived at this situation
and do not serve either readers or advertisers,
creating an effective local monopoly, with diminution of
editorial quality and high advertising costs to satisfy
shareholder demand for ever-increasing profits."
In the East Midlands Northcliffe, which campaigns
under the heading 'at the heart of all things local', has
moved production of its Derby and Leicester papers to
Nottingham, meaning people making some key editorial
decisions are no longer based in the towns.
Justin Williams, assistant editor with the Telegraph
group on his personal blog talks about the result of
consolidation at his former employer Kent Messenger
The result? Agiant in regional publishing has been
enfeebled - its circulations decimated, its multi-million
pound press plant to be closed and printing outsourced,
its website confused and filled with the dirge that plasters
its printed pages and, tragically, the laying off of
nearly 40% of its workforce. Major population centres
like Canterbury are now "served" by a handful of young
journalists on distant industrial estates while city centre
sites, earmarked for housing development, lie windblown,
empty and credit crunched".
The extent of plurality required in local
media markets
We have already highlighted why plurality of news
providers is important. Any action to support local
media, should include consideration of how it can
encourage a variety of voices.
Plurality should be maximised through a combination
of different models - commercial ownership, public
ownership, mutual ownership, staff ownership, cooperative
ownership, for profit and not-for-profit ownership.
Regional Development Agencies could be charged
with investigating how they can help promote greater
media plurality through investment incentives in local
areas poorly served by competing media. Start-up
grants, subsidised technology or training grants, subsidised
office space and other creative solutions could
help to grow new media driven by journalists themselves
on a variety of platforms - online radio, broadband
TV, print and online.
Independent Trusts should be established or endowments
for journalism introduced - which could help
fund local journalists to carry out investigations which
otherwise would not be funded and could then be published
in a variety of outlets including local newspapers
and new publishing ventures.
All support for such initiatives should be driven by the
concept of news as a public good - that it has broad
social benefits
How to fund quality local journalism
A number of different funding models have been suggested
for the broadcasting, print and online sectors.
We would be opposed to the principle that any move
towards Local News Consortia should be funded from
any element of the licence fee. Such a process does
nothing to increase the resources available to public
service providers and would weaken the BBC at the
expense of other providers. We have previously characterised
such an approach as robbing Peter to pay
Paul. Any new funding model should have as a key
requirement to increase the total level of resources
This means in broadcasting terms the better use of
regulatory assets such as:
l access to digital terrestrial spectrum, especially in
respect of greater provision of HD services
l expanding the capacity of digital terrestrial spectrum
l increasing advertising minutage allowances
l Electronic Programme Guide prominence - estimated
to be worth �30m
l reserved use of cleared spectrum for PSB purposes
It also means serious consideration must be given to
levies as an option. Despite being one of Ofcom's four
possible funding mechanisms no serious modelling
has been done by Ofcom or the Government on this
Alongside our sister union Bectu and IPPR we have
undertaken research in to the possibilities of levies
helping to bridge a funding gap. Our full report, Mind
the Funding Gap, can be found at
Levies are used in 30 European countries and are
popular with the public as a means of providing publicly
important services. A one per cent levy on pay TV
operators such as Sky and Virgin Media could bring in
around �70 million a year. A similar fee imposed on
the country's five major mobile operators could generate
�208 million a year. Making Google meet its full
tax liability in Britain would boost the pot by a further
�100 million.
Such sums could save many local newspapers and
websites from closing down, could stop the destruction
of local and regional news on ITV and could help
new media start ups to plug the gaping holes in public
service provision - all without the taxpayer having to
stump up any more cash and without having to raid
the licence fee.
In her evidence to the House of Lords Select
Committee on Communications in April 2009 Dr
Carole Tongue, former MEP and Chair of the UK
Coalition for Cultural Diversity called for consideration
of either a levy under which all non-public service
broadcasters, including video-on-demand operators,
should be asked to contribute towards the production
of public service original content or an industrial levy
under the Audiovisual Media Services Directive.
In addition to investigating the role a levy could play,
greater use of tax breaks should also be considered.
Tax credits could be given to those companies, across
any platform, against clear criteria of delivering public
purposes, providing public service content of a certain
quality. Such credits would reduce costs and enable
greater investment.
Incentives for investment in local content
If we are to save, build and sustain local journalism an
immediate journalism economic stimulus package
is needed.
There are those who argue any public subsidy for
journalism would undermine media freedom. Such
arguments hold no weight. Our founders never
thought that freedom of the press would only belong
to those who could afford a press. They would have
been horrified at the idea that if rich people determine
there is not sufficient commercial value in news that
communities should be deprived of quality information
and quality journalism.
There has long been public subsidy for media - tax
breaks, special postage rates, exemptions from VAT
and so on. Several European governments are experimenting
with ways to support news gathering. In
France the government has launched a programme
where every French citizen on their 18th birthday will
be given a year's free subscription to a newspaper of
their choice, with the hope it both stimulates newspaper
readership and encourages newspapers to
improve to win a share of this lucrative market. In
Sweden the government set up an independent body
to allocate subsidies to newspapers on the basis of
circulation and revenue data.
The question then is what type of assistance could be
given. Among the many options are:
l Tax breaks for local media who meet clearly defined
public purposes
l Giving individuals annual tax credits for their spend
on daily newspapers which meet criteria around original
l Eliminate postal rates for current affairs/news periodicals
that garner less than 20% of their revenue
from advertising
l Provide tax credits for online subscriptions
l An expansion of funding for public and community
broadcasting at a local level with a requirement that
the majority of the funds are used directly for original
l The strategic use of central and local government
All recipients of major public subsidy would be
required to make available content free online to help
build a more engaged and informed citizenry.
Such a stimulus package could help sustain a vibrant
press, it could help stimulate new media and help
save the jobs/provide work for hundreds of journalists
losing their jobs, saving their skills and experience
and preventing their unemployment adding to the calls
on the public purse through benefits.
To ensure that any public money is used for the public
good - or any relaxation of regulation is for the benefit
of our communities not private businesses and shareholders
- clear and enforceable conditions, accompanied
by sanctions, need to be applied to any government
Case study: Camden New Journal
The success of the Camden New Journal shows
that it is possible to set up independent profitable
local media. The free paper developed out of a
paid-for Camden Journal that was closed by its
owners in the early 80s. Two journalists working
at the paper bought the title for �1.
The paper won start-up funding in the form of a
government-guaranteed �50,000 bank loan under
the auspices of the then Co-operative
Development Agency, which helped draw up a
business plan. It also received �100,000 from the
London Development Agency set up by Ken
Livingstone's Greater London Council.
In four years the paper was able to pay back both
loans. Eric Gordon, who has been running the
paper since it launched in 1982 says the paper
has been profitable ever since: "We've never had
to borrow any more money. You can manage if
you make a net margin of 10 per cent, to invest."
He is now divesting himself of the paper's ownership
in favour of a community trust.
These could include:
l requirements to invest a specified proportion of
profits into editorial resources
l requirements over staffing ratios
l caps on directors' pay
l ratios for originally produced content or commitments
on the maintenance of
l procedures that require companies to make the
economic case when looking to cut jobs
l respect for core labour rights, collective bargaining
and the right to decent work
l obligations to monitor the health and safety of workers,
particularly in relation to workplace stress.
Finally, consideration must be given to how support
can be given to new start-up organisations that could
deliver quality local media. Such an approach could
work (see case study below) and there is already
precedent for public/private cooperation in this field,
such as with Kent TV.
The role and effect of search engines
and online content aggregators on local
Google News and Yahoo! News attract large numbers
of visitors and consequently are hugely profitable.
Google's revenues from its British operations last year
were �1.25 billion. However, according to the
Guardian it paid only �600,000 in corporation tax in
this country, diverting the rest of its British revenues
through Ireland in order to reduce its tax liability by
almost �100 million.
One of the biggest beneficiaries of the structural
change affecting media companies has been Google.
By aggregating content from other broadcasters,
newspaper and magazine publishers, the world's most
popular search engine is also able to secure for itself
a dominant position in the advertising market. It
recently announced a 9% rise in profits, despite the
effects of the recession. In 2008 Google overtook ITV
for the first time as the largest advertising medium in
the UK.
The problem is that Google itself doesn't actually produce
any content - it just lives off the work of others.
And that work has to be paid for. However, given that
there are fewer adverts for the content producers to
fight over then there is less money to pay creators and
so media companies axe journalists, photographers
and editors.
The long term impact is accelerating the decline of
existing media and acting as a barrier to new entrants
who rely on advertising, leading to fewer jobs and a
narrowing of the range of media at a local level.
Of course the fault lies not just with Google's parasitic
model - news owners have failed to invest in their
online operations in a way that could replace declining
advertising revenues in traditional media. When the
times were good directors chose to return money to
shareholders rather than invest in the editorial staff
and resources necessary to produce top quality online
news services.
"Who will tell you what the local councils are up to
in future? Not Google. Who will cover the magistrates'
courts, the inquests, the local crime, the
speech days? Not Google".
Kelvin Mackenzie, former editor The Sun.
The opportunities and implications of
BBC partnerships with local media
The NUJ has a number of concerns about the way in
which partnerships between the BBC and other media
operators could damage plurality and undermine quality
journalism. Any moves in this direction must ensure
that editorial integrity of different operators is not damaged
- that the news agenda does not become
merged by default. The current proposals are said to
include the idea of regular morning news meetings,
which would seem to indicate a danger of a single
news agenda being set.
The availability of footage is clearly crucial in determining
what is covered, and therefore where footage
is shared, it is likely that difference between bulletins
will be reduced. There are also a number of practical
aspects that must be addressed. Some of these
issues, such as space requirements, could be dealt
with through local negotiations, but broader issues,
such as systems for booking crews have wider implications
for editorial integrity and the quality of the finished
journalistic product.
The future of local radio and TV news
The NUJ believes firmly that the BBC should remain
the cornerstone of public service broadcasting in the
UK - and it alone should be in receipt of the licence
fee - but that there should also be public service provision
and funding beyond the BBC.
It is our view that ITV's scale, reach and infrastructure
make it best placed to provide news across the
nations and regions separate from the BBC.
However, if alternative models are considered, a number
of key questions would need to be addressed.
STV has volunteered to participate in a pilot programme
of the news consortia idea that has been
suggested by Ofcom. The NUJ would very much welcome
the opportunity to be involved in the establishment
of any such pilot programme.
Where competitive funding is considered as a method
for filling agreed time slots on the Channel 3 network,
it would be necessary to ensure that competitive bidding
does not drive down quality. Our experience with
ITN is that the value of the contract has been consistently
eroded and underbid thereby leading to cuts,
which are undermining the company's ability to maintain
Quality of provision will inevitably suffer in a situation
where providers are being expected to outbid each
other in relation to their "efficient" delivery of a service.
Such an approach is likely to see the development of
a tick-box mentality, with providers looking to drive
costs down to the bare minimum that would enable
them to meet any specific obligations that are laid
down. This would do nothing to maintain or improve
quality. Evidence from other sectors shows that quality
of service tends to suffer where bidders are expected
to compete in this way.
Whilst it is important to ensure mechanisms are in
place to ensure that public funding and/or subsidy is
spent efficiently, a competitive funding model for the
provision of core public service television objectives
could drive down quality and see an erosion of commitment
to long-term public interest goals. Cost must
not be the only criteria on which bids are assessed -
in fact it should not even be the most important criteria.
Quality must come first.
Any such approach must therefore have safeguards in
place to ensure that quality is the number one consideration
when assessing potential suppliers. It is important
governance mechanisms are robust enough to
ensure those in receipt of public subsidy/funding are
accountable and that there are clear enforcement
mechanisms to enable regulators to ensure that in
return for such subsidy public service purposes are
A number of clear administrative and regulatory safeguards
would need to be put in place in advance of
any changes. Specific slots on the Channel 3 network
would need to be agreed and set in stone in advance,
along with clear definitions of what constitutes quality
local news. Minimum health and safety standards
must be put in place, as must requirements concerning
the terms and conditions of journalists employed,
including a requirement to recognise the relevant
If any moves in this direction were to be made, it
would be essential to ensure that existing employees
of Channel 3 news providers (ITV, STV, UTV) would
have the right to be transferred to the new provider
under the TUPE transfer of undertakings rules, which
govern employment rights in these situations.
The appropriateness and effectiveness
of print and electronic publishing
initiatives undertaken directly by public
sector bodies at the local level
There has been a significant growth in media produced
by public sector bodies in recent years to provide
information to residents/citizens in a wider variety
of formats. There is concern where this is seen to
compete directly with local media, in particular where
it competes for commercial advertising.
The growth in such media is largely the result of two
issues - a greater appreciation in general of the need
to get across information to those who fund public
bodies and the failure of local newspapers to meet
their public service obligations and/or their withdrawal
from certain parts of local communities. For example,
Johnston Press has now withdrawn from delivering
newspapers to certain parts of Leeds because of a
combination of factors - the population demographics
do not match the needs of advertisers and sales are
too low in those areas to justify the cost.
In those circumstances public sector bodies still have
a duty to provide information to citizens and they can
contribute to the diversity of voices available to citizens.
According to the LGA only 2% of councils produce
weekly publications, the majority are monthly or less
regular. In these circumstances guidelines should be
drawn up to minimise competition for advertising and
to ensure councils use their advertising budgets to
ensure citizens get value for money - which almost
certainly means a mix of newspaper and radio advertising
as well as through their own publishing outlets.
Opportunities for online and ultra-local
media services
Last year regional press companies argued against
BBC involvement in local video because they said it
would stop them investing. Then, with the potential
competition seen off, they pushed on with massive
cost cutting programmes that are resulting in journalists'
jobs being slashed and the quality of local media
damaged. Between the BBC Local decision and
January this year, the NUJ has identified more than
700 editorial job cuts across the regional press. We
believe the decision around BBC Local should be
There is a role that could be played by regional development
authorities, local government or other such
bodies in providing the financial support and expertise
in establishing professional ultra-local news services.
Whilst some attempts have been made, to date, most
such projects have suffered from having insufficient
start-up capital to find the business through its crucial
first few years (see incentives section above).
Any such services need a professional element to
them if they are to perform the important social and
democratic functions we currently expect of our local
media. Not only does professional journalism brings
with it appropriate ethics and standards, it also brings
a consistency - ensuring that any individual outlet is
not dependent on the time specific individuals are able
to give up for the project.
There is a strong lobby for government support for the
training of journalists. The NUJ would welcome such
support but is adamant any assistance should seek to
achieve other public purposes. Support for training
could make a significant contribution towards improving
access to the journalistic profession. It could help
to support other government initiatives such as the
work of the Panel on Fair Access to the Professions
chaired by Alan Milburn MP.
A 2002 survey by the Journalism Training Forum is
widely quoted when examining the training and background
of people entering journalism and is still the
largest ever independent study on the topic.
It found that:
l New entrants to the industry came overwhelmingly
from middle class families, with more than two-thirds
coming from homes where the main wage earner
worked in a professional or senior managerial occupation.
l Under 10 per cent of new entrants came from a
working-class background, with just three per cent
coming from homes headed by semi- or unskilled
l Just four per cent of journalists came from ethnic
minority backgrounds
l 98 per cent of all journalists had a degree or postgraduate
degree level qualification - the exceptions
being older journalists who had been in the profession
for a long time
l Almost half had postgraduate qualifications, mostly
in journalism
The existing training and recruitment processes in the
industry create barriers that prevent many people from
gaining access to journalism as a career. Journalism
is about people, and the profession should therefore
strive to reflect the society on which it reports. Any
action with regards to training needs to consider how
it can help tackle the inequalities in the current system.
Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland
The special nature of Scotland, Wales and Northern
Ireland means that consideration should be given to
how any action to support local media will impact on
these parts of the UK. Not only do they have specific
cultural identities and differing media environments to
the English regions. They also have devolved institutions
that must be held to account.
This submission should therefore be read in conjunction
with our submissions and evidence given to other
Westminster committees and the Scottish Parliament,
Welsh Assembly and Northern Ireland Assembly
regarding the role of local news in these nations.
Further information can be supplied on request.
Whilst much of this submission has focused on staff
job cuts freelance journalists are suffering as much, if
not more, from the crisis facing local media.
The NUJ's Disappearing Freelance Work report published
in January 2009 cites cuts in freelance work at
the Yorkshire Post, Scottish and Universal
Newspapers, the Western Mail and South Wales
Echo, South Wales Argus, The Press in York, the
Northern Echo in Darlington, the Bristol Evening Post
and Western Morning News
Freelances provide an important resource for the local
newspaper industry - particularly those who are specialists
or have strong local contacts but they have
suffered from the same arbitrary cost-cutting as staff
journalists. Photographers in particular have been
hard hit by this false economy. In some places we
have recorded instances of management edicts that
photographic jobs can only be booked between certain
hours (despite the fact that by its very nature
news doesn't always work to a particular timetable) in
order to save money.
The full Disappearing Freelance Work report is available
at http://www.nuj.org.uk/getfile.php?id=689


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April 27, 2013 Comments Off on NIRVIKALPA SAMADHI
The state of samadhi is beyond the reach of mind and speech. Even in worldly experience, you cannot express taste. You cannot express the taste of an apple to one who has not tasted it, nor can you explain the nature of colour to a blind man. The state of samadhi is all joy, bliss and peace; this much only can be said. One has to feel this for himself.
In samadhi or the super-conscious state, the meditator loses his individuality and becomes identical with the Supreme Self. He becomes an embodiment of bliss, peace and knowledge. So much only can be said. This can be experienced by you through constant meditation.
Nirvikalpa samadhi is the state of super-consciousness or godhead. There is no vikalpa or imagination of any sort in this condition. This is the goal of life. All mental activities cease now. The function of the intellect and the ten indriyas. (senses) cease entirely.
The spiritual aspirant now rests in Atman (Self). There is no distinction between subject and object. The world and the pairs of opposites vanish absolutely. This is a state beyond all relativity though it is not a state of inertia. It is a condition of complete, perfect awareness. It is indescribable. It must be felt and experienced by the aspirant himself. In this state the triad the knower, known and knowable disappears. Man is now Brahman - there is no jivahood.
Try to enjoy that sleepless state wherein all senses and mind remain in a state of quietude and the intellect ceases functioning. The sleepless sleep is maha nidra (the super-conscious state). There is no waking from this sleep.
In samadhi the yogi gets himself merged in the Lord. All limitations and differences disappear. The yogi attains highest knowledge and bliss. This state is beyond description. You will have to realise it yourself.
Samadhi is the super-conscious state in which the veil of ignorance is suddenly lifted and the devotee merges in the overwhelming glory of the one true divine effulgence. In samadhi the soul becomes loosened from its material prison and is separated from individual consciousness. An ecstatic feeling of oneness arises and the soul becomes absorbed in the infinite intelligence from which it emanated.
After attaining samadhi a man, though possessed of great spiritual powers, does not wish to change the conditions and circumstances in which he lived before attaining it. In samadhi, ordinary consciousness has flowered into super-consciousness. The stream of samsara (the stream of births and deaths) has ceased to flow. – Swami Sivananda
The first sign of the realization
March 24, 2013 Comments Off on The first sign of the realization
The first sign of the realization of truth is tolerance.
Bowl of Saki, March 24, by Hazrat Inayat Khan
Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:
A soul shows the proof of its evolution in the degree of the tolerance it shows. The life in the lower creation shows the lack of tolerance. The tendency of fighting with one another, which one sees among beasts and birds, shows the reason at the back of it, that intolerance is born in their nature. … But when a soul has evolved still more, tolerance becomes the natural thing for him. Because the highly evolved soul then begins to realize 'Another person is not separate from me, but the other person is myself. The separation is on the surface of life, but in the depth of life I and the other person are one.' Therefore tolerance is not learned fully by trying to follow it as a good principle. It is learned by having the love of God, by attaining the knowledge of self, and by understanding the truth of life.
from http://wahiduddin.net/mv2/XIII/XIII_21.htm
A Sufi tries to keep harmony in his surroundings, the harmony which demands many sacrifices. It makes one endure what one is not willing to endure, it makes one overlook what one is not inclined to overlook, it makes one tolerate what one is not accustomed to tolerate, and it makes one forgive and forget what one would never have forgotten if it were not for the sake of harmony. But at whatever cost harmony is attained, it is a good bargain. For harmony is the secret of happiness, and in absence of this a person living in palaces and rolling in gold can be most unhappy.
from http://wahiduddin.net/mv2/XIII/XIII_17.htm
The first step to the attainment of the truth cannot be taught in books, or be imparted by a teacher. It must come spontaneously, namely through the love for truth. The next step is to search for it; the third step is the actual attainment. How can one attain? In order to attain truth one must make one's own life truthful. … Passing from the state of natural man, through the state of being a lover of truth and a seeker after truth, one begins to express truth … One begins to understand what the great teachers have taught. Then one becomes tolerant to the various religions. Nothing seems strange any more. Nothing surprises. For now one begins to know the innermost nature of man; one sees the cause behind every action. Therefore tolerance and forgiveness and understanding of others come naturally. The person who knows the truth is the most tolerant. It is the knower of truth who is forgiving; it is the knower of truth who understands another person's point of view. It is the knower of truth who does not readily voice his opinion, for he has respect for the opinions of others.
When man gains insight into himself, he also gains insight into the hearts of others. All this desire for learning occult or mystical powers or psychic powers now disappears, because he begins to see all this power in one truth — loving truth, seeking truth, looking for truth, living the truthful life. That it is which opens all doors.
~~~ "Supplementary Papers, Philosophy V", by Hazrat Inayat Khan (unpublished)
March 24, 2012 Comments Off on THE SUPREME GIFT
Yoga is the supreme gift of India to the world at large. Yoga does not quarrel with science; it supplements it. Yoga is a methodical way to attain perfection, through the control of the different elements of human nature – both physical and psychical.
Yoga is the supreme science of contacting reality. It is perfection in action. It is equanimity of attitude. It is perfect peace. Yoga is union with God.
Yoga is not a thing merely to be heard. Yoga is a thing that has to be assimilated and put into practice in daily life. The practice of yoga enables one to realise unity with the whole world. It is living in tune with God.
Yoga is abiding by the principles of truth and avoiding the path of untruth. Yoga is a science which is meant for the study of the reflective. It is for those who are convinced that the world of the senses has nothing substantial to offer.
Yoga is a process of continuous transformation. The inner perfection of Self-realisation can only come to be revealed by experience. This happens only progressively. The transformation of one's personality is achieved through stages.
As you advance in yoga, the ego is progressively replaced by the spirit. It is through this that the will of God works. By the practice of yoga, the sadhaka (seeker) is freed from the tyranny of the lower mind and he becomes divine. At a later stage the transformation takes the shape of a progressive unfoldment of the spirit.
A preceptor or guru is indispensable for the practice of yoga. The aspirant should be humble, simple, gentle, refined, tolerant, merciful and kind. You will not have success in yoga if you have desire to get psychic powers. Yoga does not consist of sitting cross-legged for six hours, nor in stopping the heart-beat, nor in getting buried in the ground for a week or a month.
– Swami Sivananda


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SANDY CREEK, NY – Bonnie Finnerty was recently named Sandy Creek Elementary School Principal. Finnerty replaces longtime Principal Sue Ann Archibee who retired at the close of the 2014-15 school year.
Bonnie Finnerty Named Sandy Creek Elementary School Principal
Finnerty is very familiar with Oswego County having grown up in, and graduated from, neighboring Pulaski High School.
She is a former health education and biology teacher and received her CAS in educational administration from SUNY Oswego.
She has also completed the New York Superintendent Development Program through SUNY Oswego and was recently the superintendent / k-12 principal in the Schroon Lake Central School District.
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"I chose to apply for the elementary principal position because of Sandy Creek's fine reputation and because I had a desire to be back in a public school leadership position," said Finnerty. "I have personally known several of the administrators and faculty/staff members at Sandy Creek and was delighted when I was invited to join their team."
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Finnerty officially took over the reins as Principal on July 1.
Finnerty expects the first year in the position will be spent familiarizing herself with the building, community and district saying, "It is important to me to also get to know the students, their families, and the needs of the community as it is very clear that the school is an integral part of the Sandy Creek community."
In addition, she anticipates hiring new staff as needed and working with teachers to better understand the APPR system and to provide them the guidance and resources they require to best meet the needs of the children in their classrooms.
"The greatest challenges I see facing our school for the upcoming year remain the same," said Finnerty. "Each child is unique. Each child learns in his/her own way. Each child's family circumstances are different."
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New ethics inspector set to investigate only 10 of 27 backlogged complaints
Approximately a month after assuming her role, Special Legislative Inspector General (LIG) Julie Porter said only about a third of the nearly 30 ethics complaints she inherited are worthy of investigation, according to a Dec. 20 memo from the Legislative Ethics Commission.
The backlog of complaints had become the subject of scrutiny when it was revealed the LIG position, staffed by Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago), had gone vacant since Bill Roberts vacated the post in 2014, as the Prairie State Wire reported on Nov. 5. Porter was appointed on Nov. 4.
The long-overdue appointment caught the attention of Rep. Jeanne Ives (R-Wheaton), who questioned why Madigan and House Minority Leader Rep. Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs) let the post languish for three years, filling it only after a sexual harassment complaint surfaced against Sen. Ira Silverstein (D-Chicago), according to a Nov. 9 Prairie State Wire article.
In the memo to the General Assembly, Porter offered details of the backlog of complaints, finding only 10 of the original 27 merited a closer look. Although those 10 have only received a cursory review, Porter found that for a few of them, "further investigation is moot or otherwise inappropriate," or are outside her jurisdiction.
Approximately 13 of the remaining complaints are now invalid because they involve someone no longer in the legislature, are vague or the plaintiff has dropped the charges, according to the memo, which stated Porter intends to quickly review any new complaints that are made.
Organizations in this Story
Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan • Illinois Representative Jeanne Ives (R-42nd) • Illinois Representative Jim Durkin (R-82nd) • Illinois State Senator Ira I. Silverstein (D-8th)


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