NUJWales Aiming to shape the media’s future


Reports by Jenny Sims Images by Si Jubb


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NEWS deserts, newspaper closures, job cuts and the shift to online are issues for journalism across the UK. But Wales has its own that are unique to the country, its language and its culture. NUJ Wales journalists have long had a plan for the future of media in the country, likely to get more traction following a well-attended conference at Glamorgan county cricket ground in Cardiff.


Without a vibrant media sector, can we claim to be a cohesive and democratic nation?


David Nicholson Co-chair, NUJWelsh executive council


Who better to speak in support of a plan needing government action than the head of that government? In Wales, that is Rhun ap Iorwerth, first minister and leader of Plaid Cymru. Who better to rally journalists, employers, unions and politicians to work to fulfil that plan than the head of TUC Cymru general secretary Laura Doel?


Both started their working lives as journalists. Both expressed strong views on having an independent, devolved media landscape to support democracy and the public interest in Wales.


branches funded the event. The journey to the


conference started during the Covid-19 pandemic, when journalists were classified as key workers and the union issued its news


There has been a lot of analysis of the media in Wales. The NUJ persuaded the media and culture minister to set up a Public Interest Journalism Group to make recommendations to the Welsh government. Its report, Of and For


And who better to set the scene and welcome delegates at the event than the co-chair of the NUJ’s Welsh executive council (WEC) David Nicholson? The WEC and NUJ


recovery plan.Nicholson (pictured) said: “The pandemic showed the vital importance of media in Wales with some different Covid rules in devolved nations.”


Political awareness of Wales lacking


THREE big issues were tackled in separate plenary sessions. First, is there a devolution knowledge gap? Second, how should we pay for Welsh journalism? The third examined broadcasting and a bigger vision for Wales. A report of the coverage


of Wales and Welsh politics, entitled Reporting the 2026 UK Election, with Wales in


Focus: TV, Online and Social Media Coverage, was given by two Cardiff University senior researchers. Dr Keighley Perkins and Dr Maxwell Modell showed that the public have far less knowledge and awareness of what is happening in Welsh politics than they have about UK politics and political figures.


Will Hayward (pictured), an award-winning


investigative journalist and author, discussed coverage of the Senedd election and explore the issues holding Welsh media back. The move to online and the value of vox pops were examined. The case for a


government contestable fund recommended in the


Of and For Wales report mentioned by earlier speakers was examined by a panel of journalists and editors as well as Helgard Krause, CEO of the Books Council of Wales. Session chair, Richard


Gurner, editor of the Caerphilly Observer, also supported a contestable fund.


Bilingual talks and a life member


THE bilingual conference was ambitious in content, form and language. Much of the first minister’s address was in Welsh, a few panellists spoke only Welsh, as did some attendees during Q&A sessions, and a training workshops by communications expert Richard Nosworthy was delivered in Welsh. The other workshop, on artificial intelligence (AI) and journalism, led by seasoned journalist and trainer Dan Mason, did a whistle-stop tour of AI and its capabilities. Laura Davison, NUJ general secretary, in her closing address thanked Creative Wales, the Institute of Welsh Affairs


08 | theJournalist


and NUJ Training Wales for partnering with the NUJ to organise the conference, and the Welsh executive council and Welsh branches for promoting and funding it. Paying tribute to first minister Rhun ap Iorwerth, who was given life membership of the NUJ, she said: “It’s encouraging to have someone with first-hand experience of being a journalist at the heart of government in Wales. “The future of the Welsh media …will be secured by people coming together through their trade union and other groups, making the case for change.”


Wales: Towards a Sustainable Future for Public Interest Journalism, was debated at the conference. Its suggestions included setting up a public interest journalism Wales Media Institute to develop a ‘diverse, resilient journalism workforce’, end news deserts and improve media literacy. Nicholson asked: “Without a vibrant media sector in Wales reporting on events, campaigns, news and culture, can we really claim to be a cohesive and democratic nation?”


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