Leighton Andrews

Film Club

 Pupils from Treorchy Comp's Film Club joined Film Club Chair, the director Beeban Kidron, at the Senedd today to publicise the work of the organisation.

New Media and Democracy

The video of my speech in the Chamber on New Media and Democracy last Wednesday has now been uploaded to Rhondda TV.

Digital Inclusion

Digital inclusion is a process not an event. We are all learning more about interactive opportunities as we go along.

I'd given up on Twitter as having any point to it, but at the EU Digital Inclusion event in Vienna in December some people tried to persuade me that there were uses for Twitter - so I have added it as a way of updating Facebook from the mobile.

Let's see if it makes any difference...

No merger of Post and Mail...but what about Mail and Echo?

I see Trinity Mirror has ruled out a merger of the Daily post and the Western Mail - which doesn't surprise me, different papers and different audiences.

But what about the Western Mail and the Echo?

When will the Echo and Western Mail merge?

News that Trinity Mirror has merged its Welsh operational management with that of North West England, leading to the redundancy of its MD in Wales, (one of whose last tasks was to escort the Prime Minister around the office) must bring closer the day when the group merges the Western Mail and the South Wales Echo.

Over the last year, the two papers have come closer together, with journalists writing copy for both. A few weeks ago the Echo started appearing in newsagents in the morning at the same time as the Western Mail.

Trinity Mirror's weekly titles saw recent mergers of offices and editors, ( an action we were able to fight off three years ago) and prices have gone up yet again. (The Rhondda Leader now costs 75p: six years ago it was 32p).

They will deny it now I am sure, but in the near future we will see a new paper called the South Wales Echo and Mail, or something like it.

Meanwhile, the BBC is bailing out ITV's regional news operation.

Radio Cwmni on-line

Radio Cwmni is back - and you can listen online.

I'll be joining Sharon and the team tomorrow afternoon.

Thought for the Day - come home to the Valleys!

It's not often initiatives we launch as Ministers get to be the subject of the Radio Four Today programme's Thought for the Day, but thanks to the Rev Roy Jenkins our Valleys Homecoming Initiative in 2010 has done so.

You can read Roy's words here, or listen here.

Lle aeth pawb - where did everyone go?

A clever bit of photoshopping ages a generation of Rhondda Fach footballers by 30 years instantly on the S4C's lleaethpawb site

ITV Wales

There used to be quite a good programme about politics on ITV Wales called Waterfront, presented by Jo Kiernan and then Lee Waters. It was replaced a year or so back by a less interesting programme called Sharp End.

Now ITV Wales has pulled the plug, meaning that there is even less competition for the BBC in political reporting.

This is what we have all feared.

Guardian gets it wrong

Yesterday's Guardian leader claimed there is now a Tory councillor in the Rhondda.

No, there isn't.

There is a Tory on RCT, representing Llantwit Fardre.

The Guardian's journalists should get out more.