A senior journalism academic has predicted that Wales’ national daily newspaper will have no readers left in ten years.
Dr Andy Williams of Cardiff University has written an extended essay called ‘Stop Press? Crisis in Welsh newspapers and what to do about it’ in which he claims the Western Mail will have no readers by 2021 if circulation continues to fall at the current rate.
The journalism lecturer made headlines in July last year when he blamed publisher Trinity Mirror for a fall in the Mail’s circulation from 94,000 in 1979 to under 30,000 and claimed many of its stories were recycled press releases.
The accusation led editor Alan Edmunds to hit back at Dr Williams saying he was peddling “one-eyed, inadequately researched hyperbole” about the newspaper.
In the latest essay published on the Radical Wales website he claims public subsidy and not-for-profit news ‘hubs’ could safeguard the future of the local press in Wales.
He writes: “We cannot put this debate off indefinitely. Given the precarious state of Wales’ national newspaper, in the not-too-distant future, we the Welsh public, might have to think about intervening to ensure it continues existence.
“I believe a good place to start would be to limit public subsidy to a new generation of non-profit, perhaps co-operatively-owned news organisations, beginning with existing ‘news holes’ in areas where local papers have closed down.
“Recently redundant journalists are not, unfortunately, in short supply. Enabling such committed professionals to staff a series of non-profit community news hubs in wales would provide much-needed jobs and ensure that the skills of this soon-to-be lost generation of news workers are kept alive.”
He adds: “These news hubs would not be newspapers in the traditional sense. They could also operate as community media centres, offering training opportunities to those interested in truly collaborative journalism.
“Rather than the ‘pump and dump’ approach to working with audiences employed by so many commercial news organisations, this would facilitate properly-funded skill sharing between journalists and publics.
“Wales has a long and proud history of cooperative worker-ownership: it’s time this historic commitment to mutual aid and community values replaced the profit-at-all-costs mentality that has dominated the provision of our news for too long.”
Trinity Mirror declined to comment. According to the latest ABC figures the Western Mail has a circulation of 26,931.
Sign up for our free daily email bulletin
Follow HTFP on Twitter
Got a story? Email the Editor at
Wales’ national daily- circulation 26, 931. That tells its own story.
Perhaps if all newspaper owners rid themselves of their fruitless obsession with websites they might put some resources back into saving papers.
Until then sales will continue to fall, sadly.
Report this comment
Better, perhaps, to let a title die a natural death than to go down the slippery slope of so-called public subsidy.
Regional newspapers in general have an admirable record of impartiality.
Letting them depend for funding on public bodies and/or organisations with specific, often political, interests would destroy any semblance of independence.
One suspects that titles in the guise suggested by this academic would be of little more value than the appalling propaganda sheets published by local councils.
Report this comment
It’s a wonder any of our regional newspapers have any readers left whatsoever.
Luckily for the publishers, that Great Satan the internet came along at just the right time to take all the blame for their circulations falling off a cliff.
I wonder whether the web actually can be blamed for the loss of so many readers?
If it can, then newspaper management groups are doubly damned for not being able to exploit an innovation almost every other business on the planet has greeted as a revenue-generating gift.
Report this comment
Is it any wonder the WM is crashing when this is the same Alan Edmunds who once told a NEWS reporter it was not the job of the WM to tell people the news.
Report this comment
Given the Mail’s continuing slide I’d say it’ll be lucky to survive for another couple of years. Any wonder when you consider that the paper’s target audience would appear to be young, middle-class professionals living in Cardiff?
Report this comment
No wonder it’s dwindling. I read it every day for the sport (via the net) and I don’t know why. The standard is appalling as the number of critical comments after each piece can testify. It used to be a reliable paper, now it’s sensational dumbed down rubbish. Even my father, who must have bought thousands of copies over the years has stopped buying it. Who can blame him? If they are that concerned about circulation, don’t just blame the internet, make changes. If that means getting rid of underperforming staff then so be it.
Report this comment
Some insightful analysis on the Western Mail and Dr Williams’ research here http://welshnewsnot.wordpress.com/2011/10/21/mail-goes-way-out-west/#more-791
Report this comment