27 April 2020

With uncertain and challenging times due to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, the desire for the latest news and information at the click of a button is now greater than ever, and more and more are turning to social media for the headlines.

S4C has responded by appointing two digital journalists - Siôn Tootill and Tomos Evans - for a period of three months. They will provide a news service based on the pandemic on the S4C Newyddion Facebook and Twitter pages, including government press conferences, statistics of cases and deaths, and relevant clips from news programmes. The service will develop as it progresses.

Sion Tootill

Twenty-two year old Siôn Tootill, originally from Llanelli, is a post-graduate student studying an MA in Broadcast Journalism at the School of Journalism, Media and Culture at Cardiff University. He also won the T Glynne Davies scholarship for 2019-20 – a journalism scholarship sponsored by S4C.

"The opportunity to work with the S4C team is exciting, especially on a news project at such an unique time. To receive accurate and reliable news is extremely important and so I feel honoured to be able to contribute to that" says Siôn.

Tomos Evans

Tomos Evans, 21, originally from Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, is a Welsh and Journalism student at Cardiff University, and is also looking forward to the challenge:

"I am extremely excited to join the S4C team at a time when it is more important than ever to receive news from reliable sources" says Tomos.

Geraint Evans, S4C's News and Current Affairs Commissioner said: "We are seeing the need and appetite for news during this time more than ever, with the audience looking for the latest information on the Covid-19 crisis. As stories break throughout the day, people want to get access to this information straight away. We have therefore seen a real need to develop a digital news service to provide people with news as soon as it happens through the medium of Welsh."