The Media

Part of 6. Topical Questions – in the Senedd at 3:18 pm on 15 July 2020.

Alert me about debates like this

Photo of Alun Davies Alun Davies Labour 3:18, 15 July 2020

Thank you for that. I think there will be broad agreement across all sides of the Chamber that a free and robust press and media is critical to any country and any democracy—a media that can inform, that can scrutinise, can hold politicians on all sides to account, create a platform for us to talk together as a nation, to reflect our needs as a country, and to share our culture and our histories together. But we've seen our ability to do this in Wales reducing over many years and particularly over the last few weeks. We've seen how Reach plc is absorbing too many Welsh jobs and editorial creation and editorial decisions into English parts of the system, where there is no knowledge of our needs and no understanding of our democracy. We've seen the same thing happen with Newsquest, and, Presiding Officer, as I rise to speak today, we're hearing of over 500 jobs going within the BBC and we know that that will have an impact on the BBC in Wales. I would argue there has been no effective regulation of public service broadcasting for some years. Private media corporations exist to create shareholder value and not to serve the people of Wales. So, Minister, is it not time that the Welsh Government, and I would say this Parliament as well, worked together to create new models that will serve the needs and the interests of people in this country—co-operative models, where we put people first rather than simply profit, and where the media serves our country, and not us serving their needs?

Minister, I also believe there is an urgent need to review Ofcom. For many years, Ofcom has failed Wales and has failed to deliver effective regulation of public service broadcasting, and that failure is to be seen on our tv screens and heard from our radios day after day after day. But, at the same time, Minister, there is a requirement, I believe—perhaps through this Parliament rather than through the Welsh Government—for funding to be secured to ensure that there is a basic access to basic information about our democracy and the laws that exist in this country. I'm very concerned and deeply concerned about the people who will be losing their livelihoods over these coming weeks and months. We need to reach out to those people, to those journalists, who sometimes make our lives as uncomfortable as we deserve. But, at all times, we need a vigorous and vital media and press to hold all of us to account and to inform the people of Wales of what is happening in their governance and their laws, but also to enable us to lead a full life as a nation.