Plaid Cymru AM Leanne Wood has called for funding to support the start-up of community newspapers in Wales in the wake of the crisis in the regional newspaper industry.
Leanne Wood, South Wales Central AM, asked Welsh Culture Minister Alun Ffred Jones whether, following the success of the Assembly Government’s support for community radio stations, he would support a similar scheme for community newspapers.
Leanne Wood told the Minister: “I know that you are aware of the crisis in the print media where many good quality jobs have been lost and local newspaper titles have disappeared.
“All of this has had an impact on the information that many communities use to receive through their local newspaper which is no longer available. This has implications for people’s engagement in political life.”
Leanne Wood asked the Minister to consider setting up a scheme which would provide start-up costs for community newspaper co-operatives. She said that any scheme would need to ensure the political independence of journalists was protected.
Among the newspapers that have closed this year is the Trinity Mirror-owned Neath & Port Talbot Guardian.
Bethan Jenkins, the Plaid South Wales West AM, in whose region the Neath and Port Talbot Guardians was distributed, said: “I argued at the time of the closures that newspapers and other local media are a vital part of a free democracy – not least because they hold politicians to account.
“I’ve already had contact with three groups interested in filling the gap left by the departure of the Guardian newspapers, offering quite varied alternatives to what was there before. They have concerns, not least the collapse of the advertising market that has robbed commercial media of much of its revenue possibilities – quite worrying for a start-up of this kind. I know they would certainly welcome Welsh Government input.”
Alun Ffred Jones said that the Welsh Government was supporting community radio stations in Wales to the tune of £500,000 over five years.
The Minister said that if there was a means of assisting projects to set up community-based newspapers he would be ‘all in favour of it’.
Alun Ffred Jones told Leanne Wood that he was prepared to discuss a possible scheme with colleagues and would respond to the Assembly Member in due course.
