News
Careful how you boast about readership figures, Herald Editor warned
THE PEMBROKESHIRE HERALD must be clearer about its sources of data in advertisements comparing readership levels with other newspapers, the Advertising Standards Authority has said.
In a ruling released today (Feb 1), following a complaint by the Western Telegraph’s management, the ASA said that the public could have been mislead by The Pembrokeshire Herald’s claim in July last year that the paper had more combined readers in print and online than its nearest rival.
Whilst the claim was true, the ASA were unhappy that the paper’s Google Analytics data was not subject to external audit, unlike the data for the Western Telegraph, which is.
The ASA ruling reads: “We noted that the Pembrokeshire Herald had supplied information from a variety of different, third-party sources to compare respectively the figures for print readers and website visitors for their own publication and the Western Telegraph. However, while the figures provided for print readers of the Western Telegraph had been audited by the Audit Bureau of Circulation, and the figures for visitors to the Western Telegraph website had been prepared to the industry agreed standards defined by the Joint Industry Committee for Web Standards in the UK (JICWEBS), the data relating to their own publication and website had not been similarly audited or verified.”
The Pembrokeshire Herald is now running similar adverts, with an amendment making it clear to readers that their data is sourced by Google Analytics.
Editor of The Pembrokeshire Herald, Thomas Sinclair, said: “We are proud that we are the number one source for news in Pembrokeshire. We can understand why the Western Telegraph have been attempting to block us advertising this. In my view, this whole farrago has been an attempt by a large multinational to bully a small publisher. Everyone trusts Google Analytics as the standard benchmark for web visits worldwide.
“It is my view, regretfully, that the ASA has assisted Newsquest in its attempt to bully The Pembrokeshire Herald. ABC and JICWEBS, in my view, operate as a cartel.
“I have noted that many local news publishers across Wales do not subscribe to ABC for audit (source IWA Report on Media in Wales, 2015). I note that Tindle Group do not subscribe to its services in Wales according to the same IWA report. ABC is clearly not accepted as an ‘accepted industry standard’ in Wales, or rather it is only accepted as such by a small number of non-local media publishers, prepared to pay its fees. In essence ABC acts as a de facto cartel and the ASA is endorsing a cartel position.
“ASA previously accepted our readership figures for The Pembrokeshire Herald were accurate based on the same data we relied upon to provide the figures underlying this advert. Either the ASA is behaving inconsistently or the ASA is effectively acting as an agent to compel publications to subscribe to ABC – either subscribe to ABC or do not produce circulation or readership figures seems to be the essence of the ruling.
“Ignoring empirical evidence from Google Analytics places self-audited, tick box figures above factual accuracy. The effect of that is that publishers who subscribe to JICWEBS are able to make frankly nonsensical and inconsistent claims about their online reach. We have demonstrated this to the ASA previously and I cannot conceive of another field in which self-certification is preferred over real time data which cannot be altered to suit an agenda.
“The reliance on JICWEBS is, with respect, flawed and anti-competitive. It favours those prepared to pay for a service that can be sourced elsewhere, especially if it is used as a club by the ASA to beat publishers with which to beat non-subscribing publishers over the head.
“Relying on a limited set of metrics for data is plainly both anti-competitive and encouraging a cartel position to continue.”
Health
Pembrokeshire residents suffer severe health decline ‘due to landfill gases’
A PEMBROKESHIRE couple, Mr Richard and Revd Patricia Rogers of Crud yr Awel, are experiencing severe health issues attributed to emissions from the Withyhedge Landfill, resulting in drastic lifestyle changes and severe symptoms.
Revd Rogers, who has managed asthma since childhood, reported a significant deterioration in her condition following exposure to landfill gases. Despite having controlled her asthma with minimal medication for years, she now requires intensive treatment including increased doses of Symbicort and Salbutamol Sulfate inhalers, alongside courses of steroids and antibiotics. Her symptoms have escalated to include extreme breathlessness, a hacking cough, frequent nosebleeds, continual headaches, and vertigo, culminating in a severe impact on her ability to perform daily tasks and care for her disabled daughter.
The couple’s health is closely monitored through their doctor’s surgery, and they attend the asthma clinic regularly. However, feeling powerless to directly change the situation, they have taken a stand by cancelling their council tax payments, a decision they plan to maintain until the landfill issue is resolved.
Revd Rogers has also prepared a letter to the Coroner, outlining the severity of her health issues as potentially life-threatening due to the landfill’s impact. This dramatic step underlines the gravity of their situation and their desperation for a resolution.
The Rogers’ story is not just a personal tragedy but a stark example of the broader environmental and health challenges faced by the community surrounding the Withyhedge Landfill.
They are calling for punitive measures against those responsible, including compensation for the financial impacts of their ordeal.
Their story has surfaced on the same day we reported that Natural Resources Wales is taking further enforcement action against the firm running the site.
NRW has issued site operators Resources Management UK Ltd (RML) with a further Regulation 36 Enforcement Notice which requires the operator to deliver a series of actions by specified deadlines to address ongoing smells from the landfill.
You can read more about the Enforcement Notice on the NRW website.
Outgoing Council Leader, Cllr David Simpson, said in a statement this week: “The smell from Withyhedge is having a major impact on residents and visitors. This situation has gone on too long and it is unacceptable.
“We now need to see RML act on the demands of the Notice and within the deadlines.
“The Council fully backs NRW’s stance that nothing is off the table in terms of further enforcement, including suspending the site’s environmental permit if appropriate, and we remain committed to working with NRW to ensure a long term solution to these issues.”
Entertainment
Fishguard Festival of Music launches at the Senedd in Cardiff
- Paul Davies MS for Preseli Pembrokeshire hosts event to promote major programme of summer concerts.
THIS year’s Fishguard Festival of Music/Gwyl Gerdd Abergwaun was officially launched at the Senedd in Cardiff Bay this week (Wednesday) in an event hosted by Paul Davies MS Preseli Pembrokeshire. Guests attending heard from the festival’s artistic director Gillian Green MBE about the 18 events extending over three weeks that will be staged at venues across Pembrokeshire from 18 to 31 July, including a concert by the Welsh National Opera Orchestra at St David’s Cathedral.
Paul Davies MS, said: “I’m truly honoured once again to sponsor the launch of the Fishguard Festival of Music. Over the summer, Fishguard will host world-famous musicians like harpist Catrin Finch and fiddle player Aoife Ní Bhriain, and the festival also includes performances from the National Youth Orchestra of Wales, the National Youth Choir of Wales and the Welsh National Opera Orchestra – so there really is something for everyone! Tickets to these performances sell out quickly and so make sure to head over to the Festival’s website and secure your tickets before it’s too late.”
Gillian Green MBE, Artistic Director of the Fishguard Festival of Music, added: “The Fishguard Festival plays a significant role on the cultural map of Wales and our mission to bring world-class music to Pembrokeshire is as strong as ever. This year we will have a real feast of music awaiting audiences in West Wales. The local community’s work in producing this fantastic festival is nothing short of a small miracle.”
Artists performing at this year’s festival include Peter Donohoe, Catrin Finch and the Marmen String Quartet. The full programme is available to view on the festival’s website www.fishguardmusicfestival.com
Climate
NRW to reduce mowing in May to help pollinators
NATURAL Resources Wales (NRW) will reduce mowing as much as possible on the land in its care during May to help tackle the nature emergency and in support of Plantlife’s ‘No Mow May’ campaign.
The scale and rate of biodiversity loss across Wales is accelerating. Every third mouthful of food we eat has been created by pollination, and without pollinators our food supply would collapse.
Half of the UK’s 27 bumblebee species are in decline, and of the 43 species of butterfly seen in Wales, 10 are in severe decline and 17 are declining.
There are several reasons for the decline in pollinators, such as climate change, pollution and pesticides, and change in how land is managed.
Throughout the growing season, NRW cuts grass and vegetation in areas such as forests, nature reserves, river banks, flood defences and reservoir embankments.
Reducing mowing in May will help biodiversity by allowing spring plants to set seed and grow to provide nectar and pollen for pollinators, such as bees and butterflies.
NRW will reduce its mowing activities in May as much as possible, but essential grass cutting will continue in some areas across Wales.
There are several reasons for this, for example:
- to manage access to forests and nature reserves to make sure people are safe when they visit.
- to easily inspect flood defences and repair them if needed, helping to reduce flood risk to communities.
- for nature conservation, for example to manage an invasive species or to benefit species in a certain area by cutting the vegetation.
David Letellier, NRW’s Head of Operations South Wales Central, said: “We’re committed to tackling the climate and nature emergencies and helping nature and people thrive together.
“We will reduce our mowing activities in May as much as possible to support pollinators, but we want people to understand that we may carry out essential grass cutting to benefit certain communities or species.
“For example, we may continue mowing flood defences to make sure they are in good working order, or if mowing some sites in May would leave wildflowers to recover and bloom throughout the late summer to benefit certain pollinators.
“We need to act now to protect our pollinators. This is why we manage all of our sites to make them as pollinator friendly as possible and to provide food and shelter for other species.
“There are things we can all do to make it easier for pollinators to survive. These can be relatively simple, such as managing grass verges in a more sensitive way, or leaving wild areas around our offices, homes and public buildings.
“We can all help by making our gardens pollinator-friendly by not using pesticides, not mowing the lawn as often, and growing pollinator-friendly plants.”
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