FT wins technology injury case

Claims by four Financial Times (FT) journalists, who claimed to have suffered limb injury as a direct result of using PC keyboards, were thrown out of court this morning. The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) reacted strongly saying it is a disgraceful decision.

The judge ruled the FT had not been negligent when technology was introduced to the editorial department in 1987, and that the limb injuries could not be directly connected to the use of that technology.

But NUJ president, Mark Turnbull, said: "Just because the FT has its house in order now, doesn't mean it did then. These were four people who have genuinely suffered because it didn't have its house in order at that time."

Robin Pauley, managing editor of the FT, said: "The medical evidence went through the court and the judge ruled that the injury and the use of technology did not fit together."

On hearing Pauley's comments Turnbull said: "That's nonsense." He believes the result of this case was a 'symptom of a lack of understanding on the part of the medical profession'. He added that he is strongly pushing for more research to be put into the validity of injuries caused by the use of PCs and keyboards.