Plaid Cymru’s Leanne Wood and Chris Franks have criticised plans to make the editors of several weekly newspapers in Wales redundant.
Media Wales is understood to have begun a consultation process with the four editors of their weekly titles with a view to establishing one editor-in-chief role to be based at the company’s Cardiff headquarters.
Media Wales’ parent company is Trinity Mirror which also owns the Daily Mirror and The People.
Leanne Wood, South Wales Central AM, said: “This is a bitter blow for local news in the valleys. While in general terms printed news circulation is in decline, this is not the case for local newspapers which have a loyal and committed readership.
“This decision will result in news being created further away from the communities they serve, diluting content and the unique character of each title. It is not the best way to reward a loyal readership and a dedicated staff.”
She added: “I intend to raise my concerns with Culture Minister Alun Ffred Jones and Media Wales itself.”
Plaid Cymru AM for South Wales Central, Chris Franks AM, said: “One of the reasons these papers have been successful in the past is because they are seen as local champions for their areas.
“Having one editor for all the papers will dilute that local voice. I hope that Trinity Mirror will reconsider this retrograde step.
“Plaid believes in Wales we need a strong local press to ensure scrutiny of all levels of government, including the National Assembly and the local authorities of South Wales.”
