A local council is providing a weekly newspaper in Wales with office space after its owners closed its base in a town.
The Newsquest-owned Free Press had been based in Pontypool for 150 years until the November office closure which saw staff moved to the South Wales Argus offices in Newport.
However Torfaen council wanted the paper to retain a presence in the town and offered to provide it with a room in the civic centre for one day a week.
The paper’s reporters are now using the office every Friday free of charge.
Newquest’s East Wales and Gloucestershire publisher Kevin Ward has welcomed the move.
He said: “Our decision to close our Pontypool office was not taken lightly. Although our reporters and photographers remain active in the town and it is easy to get in touch with them in a variety of ways, this gesture by the council allows gives our readers another point of contact.
“The Free Press remains committed to Pontypool and the surrounding area, as it has been throughout its proud history.”
Free Press editor Nicole Garnon added: “Following the office closure one of the main things I wanted to ensure was that Pontypool Free Press reporters were seen in the town as often as possible. And they have been doing that.
” Then when the council suggested the use of an empty room in the civic centre, which is just yards from our former office, it seemed a good idea.
“It is only for one day a week but it gives the reporters a place to arrange to meet members of the public for interviews or just to be around for people to drop in with stories.”
Torfaen council leader Bob Wellington said: “A vibrant local paper is important as it can play a key role in providing a forum for residents to make their voices heard.”
The Free Press offices closed as part of a restructure that saw around nine job losses.
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A sad indication of the times we live in – shame on Newsquest for having so little respect for its readers.
I’ve heard of similar offers elsewhere – wonder what it means in reality though? If the paper reports something the council doesn’t approve of, will it withdraw its offer? And will the newspaper feel under pressure to be kinder to the council in view of that fact?
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“The Free Press remains committed to Pontypool and the surrounding area, as it has been throughout its proud history.”
No it doesn’t or you wouldn’t have moved!
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Charles is right, I’m afraid. One function of a newspaper is to hold local government to account. It’s going to be difficult for the Free Press to pan the council when it’s accepting its offer of free office accommodation.
One of the sad consequences of local journalism’s decline is that the managers and accountants are led to believe that newspapers are ‘just another business’. They aren’t. They can’t be driven only by the bottom line. Once they lose their integrity, they’re dead.
The big question the editor should be asking is this: how ‘free’ is the Free Press when it’s reduced to accepting hand-outs from the local authority, whose actions it should be tracking vigilantly on behalf of its readers?
Sounds like the freedom of the Gulag to me.
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No such thing as a free lunch… or office space!
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Wonder if other local businesses – the baker, butcher, greengrocer – will be offered free space by the local council?
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Frankly judging by the blatantly puffy press releases from councils and councillors being dropped unedited into papers councils are having it all their own way anyway on many seriously understaffed papers.
But this move must dilute any chance of criticism of the council.
It’s tough times, we all know.
But is the world of newspapers going completely mad?
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I believe that Torfaen’s offer was originally made with the best of intentions, although if the paper writes something the council doesn’t like the relationship may change.
However, the real point is surely that it is disgraceful that NQ should force the taxpayer to pick up the tab for proper newspaper coverage, while the company walks away with more profit.
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