TUC Cymru Congress 2026
Delegates at TUC Cymru Congress have backed the NUJ’s call for strengthened public interest journalism in Wales to counter the far right.
David Nicholson, NUJ Welsh Executive Council (WEC) co-chair, moved the motion, noting that the information deficit in Wales means people use social media to access news, allowing the far right to spread misinformation and division.
More than two-fifths of UK adults say they encounter misinformation or deep fakes and research from The Alan Turing Institute states that more than 90% of the UK population have encountered misinformation online.
Nicholson, who was re-elected to the TUC Cymru general council for the next two years, said:
"The longstanding crisis in the Welsh media has not gone away. There are continued redundancies across the media in Wales, with a further 10-15 per cent cuts in journalism proposed by the BBC.
"There are many small ways in which the fragile flower of public interest journalism can be nurtured in Wales.
"The National Union of Journalists has called for an early meeting with Culture and Media Minister Heledd Fychan to put manifesto pledges into action and provide public money to support the sector."
The motion called on the TUC to lobby the Welsh Government to enact the recommendations from the “Of and For Wales” report in full.
Ahead of the Senedd elections, the TUC launched the United Cymru campaign in response to increasing reports of division in Welsh workplaces and online misinformation.
Ffion Dean, United Cymru campaign lead, said:
“TUC Cymru believes that Wales is at its best when we're united. Our history shows us what we can achieve when we put our differences aside and work together towards a common goal - paid holidays, safer workplaces, government-funded school meals and keeping care homes open.
“None of this was handed down from above. Everything we have gained we have won by setting aside our differences and working together. Unity doesn’t mean we all think the same. It means respecting our differences, valuing our diversity, and connecting on our common needs.”