Shock and concern among politicians
POLITICAL reaction to the sudden liquidation of the Wexford Echo newspapers has been one of shock and concern.
‘I was totally shocked and surprised to hear the news of the Echo going into liquidation,’ said Minister Paul Kehoe. ‘I became aware of it on Thursday evening when one of the workers phoned me after the meeting. For the staff, the editor, and the manager to be treated like this by Landmark Media was absolutely shocking.’
He heard an interview with CEO Murry McDonald on South East Radio on Friday morning. ‘He said he wasn’t being told the financial situation. You can’t run a paper while not being kept abreast of the financial situation,’ he commented. ‘I feel sorry for the staff, and also the retired staff who kept the paper going for so long.’
‘The Echo is synonymous with Enniscorthy for over 100 years,’ he continued. ‘We saw that last year, when they printed pages from 1916. There’s a lot of history there.’
This sentiment was echoed by his fellow Dáil deputy James Browne. ‘It’s a massive blow to each of the 30 employees and their families,’ he said. ‘I’d know most of them.’
He criticised the manner in which they were informed. ‘They were given no warning, and were told that’s it, the doors are closed,’ he said. ‘You’d wonder why an examiner wasn’t brought in before the liquidator to see if it could be saved. It survived through the recession and you’d have thought viability would have been looked at.
‘It’s steeped in culture and tradition, and was part and parcel of Enniscorthy for over 100 years,’ he added. ‘The print media is under huge pressure, and that’s a threat to democracy. If you don’t have newspapers and journalists, you don’t have anybody to hold the public representatives to account. In France, the government has started subsidising newspapers to keep them open. Maybe that’s something that should be looked at here.’
‘My thoughts are with the families and employees who are facing a very difficult situation,’ he said.
Labour Party leader, Deputy Brendan Howlin said the demise of the Echo newspapers would be a significant blow to local community activity and information.
‘It is clearly a cause of concern that such an important and longstanding newspaper group in County Wexford is now in provisional liquidation,’ he said.
‘Generations of Wexford people will have relied on the Echo newspapers to provide local information and a detailed commentary on local affairs.
‘Unfortunately it seems that the printed media is under enormous pressure to survive. The demise of the Echo newspapers would be a significant blow to local community activity and information,’ he said.
Deputy Howlin said of main course of concern is the ‘impact that this could have on 30 staff who have worked so diligently for the Echo Group, and I can only hope that they find some means of continuing to work in their occupation of choice.’
Cathaoirleach of Enniscorthy Municipal District Cllr Keith Doyle was also shocked at the news. ‘The reaction of the people of Enniscorthy is shock and sadness,’ he said. ‘Not only did it provide the news for the area, but it had such a deep rooted history in the town going back to 1916 and before.’
He referred to the well-known fact that the paper had Republican sympathisers on the staff around that time, and they played a major role in organising the Rising locally. The Echo offices were raided several times.
‘It’s an institution that we hope can be saved,’ he said. ‘We hope that something still can come out at the end of this.’
‘It’s 30 jobs, 30 families,’ he added. ‘Any loss like that, whether it’s a factory, a hotel, or a newspaper, is a substantial blow to any town. We hope some jobs can be saved in one way or another.’
Cllr Johnny Mythen was also cognisant of the newspaper’s long history, especially during 1916, describing the closure as ‘terrible.’ ‘It’s part of the town really,’ he said. ‘It’s shocking that people hear just two to three hours beforehand that their jobs are gone.’
‘It’s the last thing Enniscorthy wants,’ he added. ‘We’ve lost enough.’
He said that local newspapers act as an archive of society over generations. ‘They’re an invaluable source of local information on what’s going on in the local area,’ he commented. ‘I just can’t believe it’s gone. It’s part of the soul of the town.’
‘I’m devastated,’ said Enniscorthy-based councillor John O’Rourke. ‘They have been to the forefront, and have facilitated news, and generated paper for voluntary groups and organisations that are going to miss it. Every time we pick up the phone, the lads are very courteous, and cover every went.’
‘I know the journalists well,’ he added. ‘It’s crazy they were the last to know. People who had given time and effort to keep it open, were the last to know.’