Earlier in the month the SBS Board announced that it would allow advertising within programmes, including news and current affairs. Alliance members at SBS met and passed the following resolution:

This meeting strongly opposes the decision of SBS management to allow ads to run in news and current affairs programmes. The potential for commercial pressures to influence the content, integrity and independence of programme material can only be increased by this decision. We therefore call on management to exclude news and current affairs programmes from carrying ads within their programmes. Further we call on management to urgently meet with staff and unions to develop specific mechanisms to protect the integrity and independence of news and current affairs content from the inevitable commercial pressures involved in this decision.
 
We resolve to meet again on receipt of management's response. For further information please contact the Alliance 1300 65 65 12.

The 2006 Press Freedom Media Dinner Keynote Address By Paul McGeough, Chief Correspondent, The Sydney Morning Herald, at Dockside, Darling Harbour on April 28, 2006 is available for download in PDF format here. This year's dinner raised over $20,000 for the Alliance Safety & Solidarity Fund.

Australian media workers are confronting a sharp rise in health problems, unsatisfactory remuneration for increased workloads and a slump in morale due to a marked rise in atypical work in the Australian media industry – according to a case study in a report released by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and supported by the International Labour Office (ILO) – an agency of the United Nations. The report, The Changing Nature of Work: A global survey and case study of atypical work in the media industry, surveyed 41 journalist IFJ-member organisations across 38 countries, and raises fresh concerns over the effect on media quality as the work of journalists is changing.

ABC members meetings and phone hook ups will be held nationally this week, commencing today in Melbourne. At these meetings ABC negotiators will report back on negotiations and ask the meeting to endorse the ABC pay claim.  The ABC EA Salary Bulletin can be viewed 'here'  and the EA Report Back Bulletin 'here'. These bulletins are also available from your delegate.

The 2005 Tasmanian Media Awards were held at the Tasmanian Media Ball in the Hotel Grand Chancellor, Hobart on Saturday, May 6, 2006. Celebrating excellence in local reporting, this year's event saw winners announced in 17 categories. Click here to read the list of winners, including judges' comments. Congratulations to all entrants, finalists and winners.