Will Haward

Hayward left Reach plc (parent company of Wales Online and the Western Mail) in September 2024 to launch an independent Substack newsletter focused on Welsh politics. His departure from corporate media reflected the broader crisis in Welsh journalism: Reach had been cutting Welsh-focused content, while Hayward's audience demanded deeper, more sustained political coverage than corporate digital publishing models could support.

Hayward's move to independent journalism represented a significant moment for Welsh media: one of the country's most respected political reporters concluded that the corporate media model could no longer serve Welsh democracy and built his own platform instead. The newsletter quickly exceeded his 'wildest dreams,' becoming his primary income source and reaching over 120,000 people monthly — an audience larger than most Welsh media outlets. He described the 2026 Senedd election as 'the most important devolved election ever' and committed to providing the depth of coverage the election deserved. His work is characterised by rigorous scrutiny of all parties — he has been critical of both Labour's governance failures and Plaid's policy gaps — while operating from the fundamental premise that Welsh politics matters and deserves serious journalism. The newsletter's success demonstrated market demand for quality Welsh political journalism that the mainstream media had failed to supply.

With the 2026 election approaching and concerns growing about misinformation, Hayward allocated £10,000 (from newsletter revenue and a charitable grant) to fund young investigative journalists in Wales, focusing on climate change, poverty, the rise of the far right, and exposing disinformation.

The fund represented an attempt to address Wales' journalism crisis from the ground up: rather than waiting for media companies to invest in Welsh coverage, Hayward used his platform to develop the next generation of Welsh political reporters. He identified the core problem clearly: young journalists lack the 'contacts, experience or time to really delve into an issue' and don't have the portfolio that makes news organisations give them a chance. By offering £150–£500 per investigation, mentorship, and publication on his 120,000-reach platform, he created a pathway that didn't exist in Wales' shrinking media landscape. The fund's focus areas — climate, poverty, far-right extremism, and misinformation — reflected Hayward's assessment of the key threats to Welsh democracy ahead of 2026. The initiative positioned him not just as a journalist but as an institution-builder for Welsh media, with plans for a 'wider news service for Wales' after the election.