Scotland's leading serious newspapers - The Scotsman and The Herald - are in peril, according to a former media correspondent, Arthur MacMillan. He writes:
After paying handsomely to acquire titles of world renown, Johnston Press (Scotsman) and Newsquest (Herald) have stripped resources to the point where quality journalism is largely impossible. This has resulted in publications unable to pursue their primary function -- to operate as a news medium.
In an article for the latest issue of British Journalism Review, Scots on the rocks, he claims that the owners have adopted "a management policy dominated by addressing shareholder concern." Meanwhile, the "tartanised editions" of the Daily Mail, The Times and the Daily Telegraph are proving more attractive to Scottish readers.
MacMillan, who was media correspondent for the Glasgow-based Sunday Herald and now works for Agence France-Presse in Hong Kong, runs through circulation statistics that show the sales declines of The Scotsman and The Herald. Then he turns to the fall in advertising:
A virtual advertising monopoly, in the east for The Scotsman, and in the west for The Herald, has combined with classifieds to ensure huge annual profits and steady returns for shareholders. But the property downturn and the recent decision of Scotland's councils to start their own public-sector-jobs websites has jeopardised this cosy environment. A short-term revenue cycle that bred mind-blowing complacency has been exposed.
Overall, it's a penetrating analysis that merits reading.
