We hear that the Denbighshire Free Press' Shaun Davies has left the paper. This is another blow to local reporting and it further reinforces the local paper's downward spiral... eventually to oblivion.
We know that all newspapers are suffering severe losses in circulation and advertising revenue. People instead seem to be turning to the unregulated and un-policed dirty tricks of hate-filled social media, especially Facebook. All that much is widely reported. There's also evidence around town. Piles of Free Presses remain on the shelves. Over a 30 year period, the number of newsagents has reduced to just one—at that no longer opens for early workers to wander in and buy a newspaper. Anecdotal evidence from residents suggests they no longer buy the paper because it contains nothing of interest to them. The fact that the paper is a local reporter less ain't going to help.
Davies was introduced to us in the June 11th, 1998 edition of the Denbighshire Free Press, when the paper was a must-read—and when there were little alternative sources of local information
We can no longer understand the paper's circulation, because it has deregistered itself from the Audit Bureau of Circulation. What we do know is that in 2010 there were 6,974 copies bought each week. In 2014, sales dipped seven per cent in half of one year. Let's assume that the paper looses 14 per cent of its circulation a year and today's figure is likely to be around 3,600. And that's without the impact of coronavirus, when sales will have slumped, possibly to the point where they will not pick up.
The writing was on the wall for journalists at the takeover by Newsquest of Free Press owner North Wales Newspapers in September 2017. The Free Press had in December 2013 already left ABC but in 2018 under Newsquest it re-joined—but only for a year.
Newsquest and to a degree its predecessor had seen a significant change to its editorial values, focusing more on online than hard-copy readers. While the Daily Post is by far the worst for this, with adverts, trackers and whatnot slowing down the loading of the site, Free Press clickbait predominates and it seems that the Free Press website is more interested in the middle aisles of Aldi and Lidl than local journalism. Where there are local stories, these increasingly seem to be pre-packed press releases or, if not, tend to feature the word 'outrageous'.
And, so we come to the sad end for Davies. He joined the Free Press in 1998 at the tender age of 21. This was his first and, to date, only job. He subsequently became sports editor (as well as reporter), where he continued to have a committed and loyal following. His sports reports were all the more remarkable, because he never drove to matches and could therefore not get to those that were far-flung. He relied on other people's accounts, comments, observations and thoughts which he would bundle up into concise, readable material. This, above all else, shows how trusted and respected he was. We wonder at the end whether being unable or unwilling to drive held him back.
He continues to live in Rhewl and in addition to his 22 years of contributions to our area we do wish him well.
So, what's left at the Free Press? There's an 'audience & content editor'; a 'community content editor' and a 'reporter'. That's it.