STANDING UP FOR JOURNALISM

About to head off into Manchester to suport the NUJ's Stand Up For Journalism demonstration . Then on to Widnes to take some pictures of restaurants. The latter is something I would never have done until recently . But, increasingly, in this digital age, writers are being asked to take pictures and vice-versa. In an ideal world, we wouldn't do it. Reluctantly, the NUJ agreed last year that in the real world this is what happens. And freelances , in particular, just cannot afford to turn work down on the basis they won't overlap. Teaching, wriiting and taking photographs are all part of many journalists' portfolios these days. Without the multi-skilling, we just wouldn't survive. Anyway, on to Manchester......