The ‘pressure’ is of course from the press to give them money to keep writing rubbish and often anti-SNP rubbish. The opposition parties, who often deliver the rubbish to them, of course agree.
Nobody trusts journos these days. Everybody knows they serve corporate and UK state interests above those of their readers. That’s one reason why they have so few readers.
20th out of 24 in this 2017 UK poll but, if we had a Scottish poll, bottom.
In this 2020 international poll, the UK media come second bottom.
Could this sort of thing from the Herald be a reason?
Or this?
Maybe some honesty about just who the writer is would help. This below is my adaption of a Scotsman piece where, in the original, his baggage was left outside:
Kate, please do not give them our money. There are a thousand more worthy beneficiaries.
Agreed wholeheartedly
LikeLiked by 4 people
It would be madness to give these right wing rags one single penny of public money.
Anti SNP rags, let them rot and the little lackeys who tell huge porkies for money deserve their jotters, see how it feels trying to claim benefits from the English government they support and lie for.
Not.a.penny.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Gove the Union is worse for Scotland than Brexit. Or words to that affect. The MSM is a money spinning tip. How low can they go? They get called out on the internet.
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is an ideal opportunity for the SNP to show it has the guts to stand up to the perverted purveyors of anti-Scottish propaganda. Don’t give them anything, Kate.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Rothermere, the Barclays, Murdoch, Newsquest and all the rest—they dont need my support. If they published papers based on informing the public, fairly, without bias or omission, based on ethical journalism, then I would support them by purchasing their product.
There is a reason for their demise in Scotland (a country which recently led the world in buying newspapers), and that reason is easy to see. More than half on the population support independence. All these newspapers are totally against it, and “manufacture” content of a colonial, neo-racist nature, to turn us away from it.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Perhaps she could make any payments conditional on fact-checking, references given to back up statements and declarations of political and/or commercial affiliations.
Maybe insist all news/political/informative articles MUST be factual and opinions restricted to the Editorial and letters section. Each clearly marked that this is an opinion only.
Any infringements to result in production – physical or otherwise – being halted for a month. Or total withdrawal of public funding for a year. Their choice.
This would apply equally to all publications across the political (and religious) spectrum. It’s non-partisan and doesn’t “threaten freedom of speech”. So nothing for the opposition to complain about. Well. Maybe that’s a bit optimistic…
LikeLiked by 2 people
Agree wholeheartedly!
There is far too much innuendo in all press coverage these days.
They should be made to state their source at the start of their composition not half way through or as in most cases at the end and should also publish the opposite view to the piece in all instances.
No compliance, No funding.
If you want to receive Government funding you have to prove you are being honest and up front.
LikeLike
Honest and up front?
And I thought *I* was being optimistic! 😀
LikeLike
For some as the ink media door closes the BBC door opens.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Almost commented on this at the National, but honest journalism is largely dead, the newspaper medium is dying, and alternatives are destroying themselves.
Even those journalists I once admired for determination and tenacity in winkling out the truth seem of late to have gone with the propaganda flow.
Scottish media has been in a league all of it’s own for a very long time, their increasingly obvious bias has become, and the public are quite literally not buying it.
Without public trust the media it will die out, and you only have owners and HMG to thank for it.
By all means support unemployed journalists, but the rest of it no.
LikeLiked by 2 people
As with other enterprises who “shelter” their profits in tax havens,why should we give them our tax money to help them out?
Better things to spend it on.
LikeLiked by 3 people
If you can get an email off to Kate Forbes MSP please.
Kate [dot] Forbes [dot] msp [at] parliament [dot] scot
Let her know we agree fully with her position to remove 100% of Covid relief from the Deadtree press in Scotland and don’t want our taxes supporting a hostile lying media!
The more emails from the electorate the better (politicians tend to pay more attention to the people in an election year).
https://archive.is/Mlqyq
LikeLiked by 5 people
Sent an email to Kate Forbes this am but after this automated reply I’ve resent to cabsecfinance@gov.scot
Thank you for your email.
1. If your email relates to my role as MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch, please include your address so I can confirm that you are constituent.
2. If your email relates to my role as Cabinet Secretary for Finance, please send your email to cabsecfinance@gov.scot instead.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Never ever pay these papers money
THEY HAVE STRIPPED MILLIONS FOR YEARS
And most owners are billionaires and Tory supporters
The MASSES ARE MORE IN NEED
LikeLiked by 4 people
On FB there was a post asking if there should be a truth and conciliation commission. Truth yes, the people of this country need to be made aware of the sheer scale of the propaganda thrown against them. Lies misdirection and misleading information used to facilitate the theft of Scotland’s resourses, undermine their confidence, the attempt to eradicate our culture and even extinguish even the name of our country. Truth yes, forgiveness… Never
LikeLiked by 1 person
If you were being mugged in the street would you pay for your attackers baseball bat? Perhaps make a contribution to their dry cleaning bill to remove your blood splatters.
Better NO press than what we have at present.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Simply explain to them that they must cross a
Pre set verifiable sales and readers threshold
In order to Qualify for monies spent for and behalf of the Scottish people
All in order to ensure such is well spent and effective
And such is conditional on them proving such
LikeLiked by 1 person