Journalism has culture of discrimination and bullying

The vast majority of media workers facing discrimination and bullying, particularly in newspapers, are women and people from ethnic minorities.

A survey of nearly 1,500 journalists for the NUJ media union found that more than two-thirds (68%) of women but fewer than a third (32%) of men said they had been discriminated against. Women were also slightly more likely to have been bullied (52% as compared with 48% of men).

Bullying in relation to ethnicity was most commonly reported by Asian journalists, with 47% saying they had experienced it. Approximately a third of black respondents said the same - as did a similar percentage of white respondents - and among those of mixed race the figure was 18%.

Overall, 31% of those surveyed said they had been bullied - but in the newspaper sector this increased to 40%, compared with 21% in radio and television and a quarter in magazines and press/PR.

Reasons cited for discrimination included race, sexuality, age, and even not having gone to private school.

The survey, carried out by the Trade Union Research Unit at Ruskin College, also revealed that newspaper journalists find it harder than others to achieve a work-life balance, with 40% saying they had failed to do so.

NUJ general secretary Jeremy Dear commented: "It is shameful that bullying is still common and that so many lives are made a misery because of it.

The NUJ takes bullying extremely seriously and we are working hard to try and raise awareness of it and eradicate it".