Welsh editors in the firing line

The South Wales media's ongoing radical changes crystallised further yesterday.

Journalism trade magazine Press Gazette reported that the roles of four newspaper editors across the region were likely to be made redundant.

The papers in question are the weeklies in the Celtic group, part of the Western Mail stable. They include the Merthyr Express, Gwent Gazette, Rhondda Leader, Pontypridd Observer, Cynon Valley Leader and Glamorgan Gazette.

Closed

A single editor-in-chief is expected to oversee the weeklies. The same group closed the Neath and Port Talbot Guardians a year ago.

Media Wales publishing director Alan Edmunds is quoted as saying: “The future development and operational requirements of these titles as well as the needs of the communities that they engage will be better served by a new approach, taking advantage of the opportunities afforded by our multimedia news operations.”

Economics

It's also likely that simple economics have much to do with the measure. The loss of three editor salaries will be a handy cost reduction on the balance sheet.

Media Wales isn't the only operation making hard decisions. In recent years the South Wales Evening Post group has experimented - and reconsidered - with joint editorship of its weekly titles the Llanelli Star and Carmarthen Journal.

Globally, the news trade continue to evolve too as media businesses struggle with new technology and recession.

Developments

In a key London lecture this week, former Washington Post executive editor Leonard Downie Jr looked at likely future developments of the journalism industry.

He said: "Much of the most-needed journalism is still best produced collaboratively by stable news organizations that can facilitate professional reporting by experienced journalists, support them with money, logistics and legal backing, and present their work to a large public.

"Credible, verifiable journalism about what is important in life is needed more than ever amidst the babble of the blogosphere and social networks, the polarizing opinion and propaganda, the tabloid invasions of privacy and the cynical audience appeal of news presented as entertainment and entertainment presented as news.

"The challenge I see is to turn this tumultuous moment of transformation into a beneficial reconstruction of journalism, enabling credible, verifiable, independent news reporting to emerge, enlivened and enlarged, from the current decline of long-dominant news media."