THE EDITOR'S CHAIR: Where were the AMs?

Organised by Rosemary Butler, the Newport West AM and presiding officer of the Assembly, the event at the Pierhead Building opposite the Senedd attracted around 70 people.

Other speakers included representatives from the BBC, the Daily Mirror, and the editors of the South Wales Evening Post and the Western Telegraph.

The reason for the event – one of a number of seminars on the subject – was concern among politicians that devolved issues are not being reported properly by the national media.

For instance, national newspapers on sale in Wales may well report on health issues without pointing out they do not necessarily apply to Wales. The same concern applies to national news broadcasts.

There is a further concern that an apparent contraction in the Welsh print media means the goings-on at the Senedd do not get reported properly.

These are important issues and need to be discussed.

My fellow editors and I all said similar things during our speeches.

Firstly, the death of regional newspapers in Wales has been greatly exaggerated. Yes, the sales of print newspapers are declining but the various digital ways in which people can access the news, sport and information we produce actually means our audiences are greater now than they were five years ago. Secondly, it is true that all daily newspapers in Wales – including the Argus – had reporters based full-time at the Assembly when it came into being in 1999. Now none of us does.

But that does not necessarily mean Assembly and Welsh Government business is not reported properly by the Welsh media.

The Argus has a reporter based at the Assembly one day a week, but he is also constantly in touch with AMs and ministers.

Policies that have a direct impact on our readers are reported properly.

And by that, I mean we report on what policies mean to our readers rather than the spin ministers would prefer.

Finally, editors at the seminar also said politicians had to do more to engage the public.

Blaming the media for low turnouts at the polls is simply shooting the messenger when it is the quality of the message that really needs to be scrutinised.

Speakers at last Thursday’s seminar delivered some home truths to politicians. One (not me!) told the audience the biggest problem with reporting or broadcasting the Senedd was that much of what went on there was “as boring as hell”.

So how did our elected representatives respond?

Well, who knows? Because the grand total of AMs who bothered to attend the seminar was precisely zero.

The deputy presiding officer, David Melding, was there hosting the event in the absence of Mrs Butler, who was dealing with a family illness.

But where were the AMs?

I raised the question during my speech and, in his closing remarks, Mr Melding offered the rather lame excuse for his colleagues that it was “a working day”.

Funnily enough, it was for me as well – and for all the other speakers at the seminar.

We had responded to an invitation from the Assembly to give our views on a subject that is clearly troubling AMs.

Yet not one of them could be bothered to turn up for even a part of the day.

It is quite ridiculous.

I know that all six speakers at the seminar were amazed by the absence of politicians.

None of us was expecting every AM to be there; the workings of the Welsh Government still had to go on.

But it would have been nice to see a few of our elected representatives taking an interest in what we had to say. If nothing else, if you invite someone to take part in such an event it is common courtesy to acknowledge their presence.

The day included some interesting debates and many good points were made by those who attended – some about politics and politicians, but also some about my industry that certainly gave me food for thought.

One comment from the audience was that politicians today seem too distant from the electorate.

The absence of AMs last Thursday emphasised the point.