The South Wales Evening Post kept the names of two local servicemen held captive in Iran secret after speaking to their families and the Ministry of Defence – only publishing the details once they had appeared in the national press.

The paper refused publish details of the men, even though their identities were known with their communities, telling readers it was responding to a request by the MoD.

Editor Spencer Feeney revealed he had tried to strike a balance between keeping readers informed, and respecting the wishes of the families.

He told HoldtheFrontPage: “We discovered both their names on Wednesday last week. We spoke to the Ministry of Defence and to the two families either directly or via a third party.

“I was thinking how to strike a balance between keeping readers informed, as it is important story for us, and balancing that with the feelings of the families.”

The message that came back on Wednesday was that the families did not want the men to be named and that they wanted the media to respect their privacy.

The Post was also told by the MoD that there may be operational reasons why the names should not be in the public domain.

But at the weekend Carmarthenshire marine Dean Harris’s name appeared in the national press as one of the 15 Royal Navy personnel captured by Iranian Forces after boarding a boat suspected of smuggling off the coast of Iraq.

Following this, the paper published his name on Monday. It kept the name of a Swansea sailor also being held under wraps until today, again following the lead of the national media.

Spencer said: “The decision I made on Wednesday was that the families’ wishes were paramount.

“What changed on Sunday was a phone call from the duty editor to tell me that two newspapers had named one of them.

“At that point I was still considering whether to go ahead and name him. The papers were the Sunday Mirror and Wales on Sunday, but obviously as the local paper we have got bigger readership figures.

“What swayed me was that PA named him and at that point I felt that, as it had gone out on the wire, we could not longer help to protect the families privacy.

“We have reached the point where we have done all we can to help the families and respect their wishes.”

He added: “Striking a balance is something we do all the time, although obviously not in such dramatic circumstances as this.

“The balance shifts with events and what other choose to do. You have to make a judgement and keep reviewing it.

“I felt the decision was the right one at the time even though some people in the community knew who they were.

“As a local editor you have to think about the relationship with readers after the event – that is the difference between a local paper and the nationals.”