March 2, 2009

Evening Post Editor tells Sir Emyr to Take a Running Jump!


A friend of mine has e-mailed me the following story. A few days ago he attended a meeting of the All-Wales Convention in Llanelli. Sir Emyr was there as per usual, and informed the audience present that in his attempts to get local publicity for the event, he had fallen foul of Evening Post supremo Spencer Feeney, a man not renowned for his love of Wales or devolution.

It's not clear whether the following was relayed to Sir Emyr over the phone or face to face, but apparently Mr. Feeney's words were:

"Don't expect any help from me to publicise your work - If it doesn't effect Mrs Jones in Bonymaen - You can forget it cos it's not going in the paper."

So much for impartial, unbiased journalism then! Maybe it explains why publicity for a public "Yes" meeting on Wednesday, featuring two prominent local AMs, has yet to hit the pages of this particular paper...

But what episodes like this really highlight is the need and relevance of the Internet, and social networking groups like Facebook. Anti-devolution groups like True Wales seem to get regular media coverage on Television, on the web and in print media, but any grassroots "Yes" campaign will have to surmount formidable obstacles to get it's message out. Nevertheless, it costs nothing to set up a blog like this, and relay this information to nearly 2000 people at the touch of a button.

Anti-Welsh media Moguls like Spencer Feeney can raise their media blockades, but we have the technology to by-pass them.

It also takes next to no time to relay your feelings on this matter to the good Editor either, if you feel so inclined. Here's his e-mail address:

Email: spencer.feeney@swwmedia.co.uk

Polls, commissions, surveys and even groups like Wales First show consistent public support across Wales for more law-making powers, while Swansea, a city served by the Evening Post voted "Yes" to Devolution last time around.

So just how in tune with popular sentiment is the Evening Post, and it's erstwhile Editor...?

1 comment:

Unknown said...

The Western Mail are editorially fairly positive about this. Their Forum, however, has a weak and incompetent moderator (lizzie1) who is being browbeaten by anti Welsh people (and I mean anti-Welsh, not anti further powers!) into giving them full reign to denigrate anything Welsh, and she is banning people who oppose them. Surely, as strange stance for a paper that likes to style itself as the National Newspaper of Wales.

I would like to urge members of this blog to look it up http://forums.walesonline.co.uk/index.php, and jon.

The culprits to look out for re called East Walian, Plectum, nospin, llew99 - and too many more to mention.

I posted as Sionnyn but have been barred for multi posting, which I never did, but was often accused of by said East Walian (Who does).

Please make your own minds up, but if you agree that the forums have a flagrantly anti-Welsh bias, write to the editor.

Diolch.