BBC whistleblower Laurie Meyer was among those honoured with a gold NUJ badge.
Meyer
has been a member of the NUJ since 1970, but earned his gold badge for
his actions after joining the BBC Tunbridge Wells newsroom in 2001.
He
lost his job after going public about a “a culture of bullying and
harassment” which he said was being ignored by senior staff.
He said: “Bullying in the BBC and especially in regional broadcasting is still rife and the BBC must be more transparent.
“The
BBC remains a great public service institution, but it must now learn
to treat its own people fairly and with the respect they deserve.”
The 84-year-old Irish freelance, Arthur Quinlan, a member of the NUJ since 1946, was made a member of honour.
He
has secured countless scoops from his freelance operation at Shannon
airport by the virtue of the fact that it was a refuelling point for
most transatlantic flights.
Among his claims to fame was the fact that he had interviewed every US president from Harry S Truman to Bill Clinton.
Mike
Studley, FoC of the Liverpool Post and Echo, was also made a member of
honour as was veteran broadcaster Alex Pascall, who said that the award
ranked alongside receiving the OBE.
After receiving the prize he led the conference in a song entitled, You’re in the same boat brother.
Studley
said: “Working for the NUJ has been the highlight of my life. It has
brought some exasperations, but has also brought great rewards.
Promoting trade unionism has always been something of a personal
crusade – organisations like ours are vital to the success and
well-being of any society.”
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