What the papers say

One of the big issues challenging the democratic system throughout Wales today is the weakness of journalists in reporting on that which effects us day to day. Over the past year for instance, the Llanelli Star (my local newspaper) has failed to criticise the County Council once although it has been ready to give them praise. Editor Robert Lloyd claims that this is all for the sake of balance. I do not wish to seek a debate on how well the council has performed but it is sad that the local paper ditches an investigative style (that should contain occasional criticism) that will work to serve the community better than the typical tabloid style that we are all far too familiar with throughout Wales.

The Star is just a minor example. One of the greatest culprits in my mind is the Western Mail. Although it tries to sell itself as the quality national paper of Wales, there is more reported about the personal lives of our Rugby heroes that the events in the Welsh political scene. They may be trying to appeal to a certain audience but the sharp drop in their readership should give them a clue as to what the public want.

A reasonably good is ITV Wales. Although the network has provided an excellent coverage of Welsh affairs, from News to consumer affairs it is now endangering this work through cuts, claiming that such output it not commercially viable.

ITV and the Local/National press should follow the lead of the BBC and S4C in providing high quality journalism that is ready to investigate and to inform their readers about that which goes on in their communities.

Over the last few years we have seen the rise of blogging. Blogs like Blammerbell Briefs and Ordovicius have fill the vacuum created by the press, being especially successful during last year’s Assembly Election. Although the debate and comment raised by such sites have been a coup for democracy, they are not the most reliable and balanced sources of information.

Happy St. George’s Day!