When is a journalist not a journalist? When Trinity Mirror says so...

When is a journalist not a journalist? Here's an answer from Trinity Mirror (TM): when you're hired to "gather and prepare market-focused content direct from communities." According to a TM advert for "multimedia assistants" to join the Liverpool Echo and its weekly sister titles, the job is administrative rather than journalistic . It states: "This is a non-journalistic role but you will be working closely with journalists and you will need to be self-motivated with the flexibility to work on multiple projects and meet a variety of deadlines." The salary on offer (between £13,400 and £15,000) is not too different from that paid to a junior reporter. So why do it? Maybe it's aimed at hiring people without the need for them to obtain National Council for the Training of Journalists qualifications. It could be a clumsy way to persuade recruits not to join the National Union of Journalists. Any other ideas? Source: HoldTheFrontPage