Stronger together weaker apart?

In common, I suspect, with most journalists who swap the newsroom for the lecture hall I was initially bemused by the sheer hostility of academic media studies towards the press.

Despite the fact that Marx wrote I think next to nothing about the media,  Marxism is often presented as a fundamental starting point for critical analysis of the western media.

In time I’ve come to learn that media studies and practical journalism are just two separate subjects.  Once you get that clear, it’s possible to examine each on their own merits.

Starting out as a lecturer, one of the few academics who didn’t appear to actually hate all journalists and media organisations was Brian McNair.  His textbook, News and Journalism in the UK,  was also accessible – not something that can be said of all media studies writing.

Today Brian plugs a new edition of the (very good) book in allmediascotland.com but ends the piece with a bizarre and seemingly out of nowhere attack on Independence, even including a paraphrase of Labour’s favourite anti-SNP slogan – stronger together, weaker apart.

The idea seems to be that Independence would be a disaster for Scottish newspapers - although the evidence base for this seems to be, well, zero. I’m not quite sure exactly how The Herald, Scotsman, Record etc. with their plummeting sales are  currently benefiting from the Union. 

Indeed given its plight the  Scottish media seems to be the worst possible industry to use to promote the status quo.

The fact is Independence would be the best  thing to happen to Scottish journalism. With a normal Parliament to report on and a government setting economic, European and foreign policy the papers would instantly become more interesting.

What would be the point in buying  a London title in such circumstances?

If you don’t believe me – take a look at the Irish Times site and compare it to The Scotsman’s.  There’ s no contest.

Up-date:  more evidence of how well Scottish papers are doing under the Union – some significant redundancies at the Daily Record.

Scottish newspaper turmoil

So there’s to be yet another change of editor at a Scottish title – with the replacement of Mike Gilson with John McLellan at The Scotsman.

This  item here from allmediascotland.com has a startling comparison of an era of stability before the year 2000 compared with the revolving door policy ever since.

The Scottish newspaper market  should not of course be looked at in isolation – we are not insulated from the economic and technological turmoil that is sweeping through newspapers world-wide.

This uncertainty is bound to lead to more frequent changes at the top. But there’s still something depressing about the current state of what should be one of Scotland’s great industries.

I don’t actually think any Scottish newspaper has come to terms with devolution or the wider change in public attitudes.  Far too many papers are out of touch. They give the  impression that they don’t actually like Scotland that much and think the whole idea of any kind of self-government is rubbish. 

No paper is central to the Scottish political debate in the way The Scotsman and Herald were in the 70s and 80s. I realise that simply being in touch with the country you are trying to serve is  not sufficient to put on sales – but it is at the very least a necessary pre-condition.

A cast-list of columnists that includes the likes of Jenny Hjul and Gerald Warner along with the usual tired, political hacks says more about the lack of vibrancy in Scottish papers than even the top-line circulation figures. (I confess to an interest here  that some may, uncharitably, call sour-grapes – I’ve had a few pieces  published myself but have had quite a few more rejected having refused to go down the SNP/Scotland is crap line). 

Whoever takes over at The Scotsman and/or Scotland on Sunday has a massive and difficult job – but a good starting point would be to understand that Scotland in 2009 is very different to 1989. If you think 1989 was better then perhaps editing one of our national papers is not for you.