![[Freelance]](../gif/fl3H.png)
London Freelance Branch meetings
We are holding hybrid meetings, with the in-person part at NUJ headquarters, 72 Acton Street, London WC1X 9NB - just off Gray's Inn Road. The nearest Underground stations are King's Cross and Chancery Lane: see Google Maps or Open Street Map.
Meetings are generally on the second Monday of each month at 18:30 - except when Bank Holidays intervene, and except that there is no meeting in August.
Branch meeting calendar jump straight to the next meeting
This is not spam make sure you get Branch invitations
![[NUJ London Freelance Branch]](../gif/nuj.gif)
Please check back here - meeting subjects and speakers inevitably change from time to time. Members who have supplied a working email address to the NUJ centrally get a monthly email alert and virtual Freelance listing of recent updates.
Details of how to use Zoom are here. We send links to Branch members shortly before the meeting: if you've misplaced yours or are having trouble entering the meeting please contact the secretary directly.
NOTE that to comply with the Branch rules any motion for a meeting must be sent, in writing, to the Freelance editors ten days before the meeting date: see below for a handy form for submitting motions. See here for guidance on Tweeting and recording meetings.
There is information here on how the agendas for Branch meetings are put together.
The Branch also organises meetings for members new to freelance journalism, to meet other people new to the Branch and members with more experience of freelance journalism, generally on the last Thursday of every third month from 6pm. If you have recently joined, or transferred into, London Freelance Branch of the NUJ you should receive an invitation in email.
| Date | Speaker/subject |
|---|---|
| Mon Jan 12 |
Annual General Meeting 2026Elected the Committee; see summary of duties |
| Mon Feb 09 | Isabelle Doran of the Association of Photographers |
| Thu Feb 26 | New members' meeting |
| Mon Mar 09 |
This meeting immediately follows International Women's Day on 8 March and we will have a relevant speaker, likely on the effect of pregnancy on women freelances' careers.
|
| Thu Mar 12 |
Branch coffee morning what can Muck Rack do for you? 15:00 - registration required |
| Fri Mar 27 | Addressing targeting of women journalists of colour |
| Mon Apr 13 | Speaker/subject to be announced |
| Sat May 09 | Making freelance journalism pay - details soon |
| Mon May 11 | Speaker/subject to be announced |
| Thu May 28 | New members' meeting |
| Mon Jun 08 | Speaker/subject to be announced |
| Mon Jul 13 | Speaker/subject to be announced |
| August | No meeting |
| Thu Aug 27 | New members' meeting |
| Mon Sep 14 | Speaker/subject to be announced |
| Mon Oct 12 | Speaker/subject to be announced |
| Mon Nov 09 | Speaker/subject to be announced |
| Thu Nov 26 | New members' meeting |
| Tue Dec 15 | Seasonal social soirée |
| Mon Jan 11 2027 |
Annual General Meeting 2027 Elects the Committee |
The Branch Committee welcomes suggestions for speakers and topics for meetings: contact editor@londonfreelance.org.
Remuneration
London Freelance Branch remunerates key members for their journalistic contributions to the smooth running of Branch functions. Historically these payments have been increased on a yearly basis to offset inflation; the last raise took effect from January 2025.
The recommended increases for 2026 are based on the effects of inflation since the last adjustment, using data to be found here: www.rateinflation.com/inflation-rate/uk-inflation-rate. The median published rate over the past year was 3.373%.
The Remuneration Sub-Committee recommends that with effect from January:
- The current £1089 paid jointly to the Freelance co-editors should be increased to £1126 per month (rounded up from £1125.73).
- The current £423 paid to the social-media editor should be increased to £437 per month (rounded down from £437.27).
- send your motion no later than 10 days before the meeting at which it should be debated; and see the form for motion details (Word .DOC)
Making freelance journalism pay - event
passed 18 for, 2 against, 2 abstentions
This Branch authorises its Committee to spend not more than £5000 on an event on “Making freelance journalism pay” on Saturday 9 May, for necessities such as venue and equipment hire, reasonable refreshments and speakers' expenses.
Please note that the Committee plans to charge members £15 to attend, with a reduced rate for those on low incomes and a £50 charge for non-members. The Committee therefore expects the net cost to be lower than this contingency authorisation.
International Workers Memorial Day
passed nem con
This Branch commits to organising an event on International Workers Memorial Day, 28 April 2026, to recognise the number of journalists and others killed whilst working and the huge numbers of people injured, disabled and made unwell by their work around the world, and how the greater majority of this is predictable and preventable. The event will re-commit to remembering the dead and fighting for living!
Countering misinformation about migrants in the media
passed nem con
This Branch draws the attention of members to www.togetheralliance.org.uk and specifically to the rally it is organising in London on 28 March: “March Together. For Love. For Hope. For Unity... Together we can reject narratives of division and racism.” We note that the NUJ centrally is listed as endorsing the campaign.
The Branch instructs its Committee to approach the NUJ's Ethics Council and National Executive Council to pursue initiatives counter misinformation and disinformation in the media, about refugees and migrants, that fuel narratives of division and racism.
Amendment: Countering misinformation about migrants in the media
Before “Ethics Council” insert “Black Members' Council”.
Freelance Journalism Impact Award
passed nem con
This Branch agrees to sponsor the Impact Award, one of the awards organised by freelancingforjournalists.com, at a cost of £250.
The Impact Award will be for a freelance journalist who has made a significant impact in their field. This could be from a successful campaign or a story which has led to local or national change or a sustained effort to challenge reporting restrictions in court for example.
NUJ Extra
passed 18 for, 2 against, 5 abstentions recorded
LFB agrees to suspend its payments of £250 monthly to NUJ Extra, the independent charity for NUJ members – subject to review at any time. (Explanation: the Branch instituted this payment when covid-19 regulations prevented it from holding in-person meetings.)
AGM motion: Proofreading Branch rules
passed nem con
LFB agrees to amend its Standing Orders so that Standing Order 9 specifies that Delegate Meeting delegates shall be elected on a simple total of votes cast by members at the relevant Branch meeting.
Venezuela and the safety of journalists
passed as amended 22 for, 1 against, no abstentions recorded
This Branch is very concerned at the events that occurred in the sovereign country of Venezuela on Saturday 3 January 2026 - that have been widely reported by UK news and media outlets around the world.
As members of the global community, we deplore the violation of international law that has seen the US bomb sites in Venezuela resulting in a number of civilian and other fatalities and the abduction of the country’s president and its first lady to the US to face what it states are criminal charges.
This Branch has an understanding of the gravity of the situation now faced by the people of Venezuela. We have seen from other historical examples that fear, instability and a power vacuum created by one country’s attack on the rights of another is a threat to the security of civilians as well as the safety of journalists and reporters.
We urge the NUJ to work constructively with journalist organisations in the region to ascertain their needs and requirements at this difficult time and offer assistance as deemed appropriate.
We note that a number of trades union general secretaries in the UK have condemned the US action against Venezuela in a statement as reported by the Morning Star on 5 January 2026 - these include Daniel Kebede (NEU), Fran Heathcote (PCS), Jo Grady (UCU), Eddie Dempsey (RMT), Steve Wright (FBU), Steve Gillian (POA), Maryam Eslamdoust (TSSA), Sarah Woolley (BFAWU) and Gawain Little (GFTU). The UK prime minister’s refusal to denounce the abduction of the Venezuela president was also condemned by Unison general secretary Christina McAnea. [The Financial Times is deeply unhappy too.]
Amendment: Venezuela and the safety of journalists
1. Delete paragraph 5
2. Insert the following:
This branch condemns the harassment of journalists by the Venezuelan government which has included several cases of arbitrary detention, as documented by Reporters Without Borders (RWB).
The branches notes with concern that since the US military action of 3 January 2025, journalists now face heightened risks. According to RWB: “Intimidation, direct threats, phone searches, and forced deletions of journalistic content — practices that became widespread after the 2024 elections in Venezuela — are now compounded by new dangers. These threats no longer originate from a single, identifiable state authority but from multiple actors, significantly increasing insecurity for media professionals.”
Defend Adil Raja and journalism in Pakistan
passed nem con
This Branch expresses its solidarity with member Adil Raja. An anti-terrorism court in Pakistan has announced multiple criminal convictions and severe prison sentences in absentia against a group of Pakistani journalists and commentators now living abroad. Adil is one of those named, alongside colleagues such as Sabir Shakir, Wajahat Saeed Khan, Syed Haider Raza Media and others.
Adil tells us that none of them were notified of charges. None were summoned. None were shown evidence. None were given the opportunity to appear or defend themself. They learned of the convictions through the media, after sentences had reportedly already been imposed.
This appears to be a clear case of judicial harassment aimed at journalists in exile — to be part of a wider global trend of transnational repression, in which authoritarian states use courts and counter-terrorism laws to intimidate critical voices beyond their borders.
This matters to all of us in the NUJ, because it cuts to the heart of what the union exists to defend:
- the right to report freely;
- the safety of journalists wherever they work or live; and
- and the principle that journalism is not terrorism.
The Branch resolves to write to the NUJ National Executive and to the General Secretary thanking them for any steps that they may already have taken and urging them to increase pressure on relevant governments to protect journalists and journalism.