I was in London on Saturday for the first time in a while and discovered on my way home when I went to buy a newspaper to read on the journey home that the Western Mail is no longer available at the train station newsstands. I know Media Wales have had budgets cuts but it’s a poor show that there is no Welsh newspaper available at Paddington for commuters given its historic links to Wales. It also got me wondering whether this was the case for others London newsagents who sold Welsh newspapers and what sort of impact it's having on Wales profile in London?
Yes we have devolution in Wales, but we can’t afford to be insular and to drop of the radar, Wales still needs a visible presence in London for the expats, inward investment, politicians and those with a passing interest in Wales, But the more pressing issue is how are people outside Wales getting their Welsh news if the main national newspaper isn’t available anymore, not everyone has moved to consuming news online.
I’m not convinced the Welsh Government has a role propping up newspapers, but we need a viable media to promote a healthy democracy and Wales and on this the Welsh Government should be far more concerned at these developments in the Welsh newspaper sector and lobby for a reinstatement of the newspaper in Paddington at the very least.
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