This might be bad news for some, good news for others, but from January Senedd Home’s coverage will be significantly cut as the first step towards coming to an end at the next election.
Output will be reduced, going from an average of 14-18 articles a week to maybe 4-6 until dissolution (effectively the start of the Easter recess in March, but that could change). I was tempted to call it a day now, but for the sake of tying up loose ends on Brexit, the pandemic, committee inquiries and the few remaining laws of the Fifth Senedd, I decided to keep going for a few more months.
The last of the syndication agreements – with Nation.Cymru – ends this month as they make editorial changes. It was never permanent, has ended amicably and will hopefully lead to a net-increase in day-to-day Welsh current affairs coverage. If those syndication deals didn’t occur, this would’ve happened sooner.
Despite a reasonably-sized audience, there aren’t enough donations (complaints elsewhere about lack of funding or donors are pretty galling given for me it’s been like diving into an empty swimming pool) and there isn’t enough general support to make up for the drop in income and reach to justify the amount of work Senedd Home involves (alongside and on top of State of Wales and Oggy Bloggy Ogwr).
Regardless of what many people may say they want, speed and hot takes have become more important than accuracy, quality or impartiality to the point I can’t keep up anymore. Meanwhile, acting as an archive for a few MSs, their staff, journalists and others is certainly a useful niche but not what I set out to do.
Despite praise for Senedd Home from a small number of appreciative voices, I’ve never believed it because I’ve been given few other reasons to. It was a nice gesture to be name-dropped recently, but words haven’t been backed by actions for years.
Waiting for magic moves on statutory public notices or anything else won’t make a difference. Despite all that’s been done, this work permanently exists on the wrong side of a credibility gap which can never be bridged.
That’s easier to shake off when you have the right people, funding, social media buzz and name recognition behind you. It’s a hell of a lot more difficult, demotivating – even depressing – when you’re by yourself, never in the building and rarely in the conversation. Hard work by itself doesn’t pay off and it’s very easy to be written-off as a crank even when you do your best.
Having personally written and published 1,780+ freely-available articles – very few of which have regurgitated press releases – and almost 250 video clips on Senedd Home, I don’t need validation from anyone else to consider that to be an achievement whether it’s recognised or not.
It’s difficult to see how anyone can realistically or fairly expect me to continue the current level of output in exchange for ridiculously early starts, £1-per-hour-worked and a rare pat on the head. I’ve given a lot. I’ve given enough.
The “good news” is that State of Wales and Oggy Bloggy Ogwr will play a bigger role going forward. Also, coverage of devolved politics won’t stop completely after the election, just change. Without adapting – after soon to be 10 years doing this – I wouldn’t have been able to keep going, so adapt I must.
Some ideas need further work (more details next year), but it’ll likely mean going from breadth of coverage and impartiality back to depth, features and cynicism….whilst hopefully having a bit more fun.
