13/09/2012 Newsnight Scotland


13/09/2012

Similar Content

Browse content similar to 13/09/2012. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!

Transcript


LineFromTo
0:00:030:00:08

Tonight on Newsnight Scotland, an endangered beasts special. Once the

0:00:080:00:12

Scottish press was red in tooth and claw. Now it's a shadow of its

0:00:120:00:16

former self. One of the men who used to run part of it says it's in

0:00:160:00:18

terminal decline. But is he right? And, we're told the Scottish

0:00:180:00:22

wildcat could go the way of the dodo or the Tasmanian tiger within

0:00:220:00:24

months. Should we launch an immediate attempt to save it, or

0:00:240:00:28

let it rest in peace? Good evening. Once Scotland's newspaper industry

0:00:280:00:31

was vibrant and influential. Now with plummeting circulation and

0:00:310:00:34

severe cost-cutting, the question is how long it can survive in its

0:00:340:00:39

current form. As the debate around the referendum gets going, will our

0:00:390:00:41

newspapers be an important part of the national conversation as they

0:00:410:00:50

were in 1979 and 1997? Jamie McIvor reports. It was a world of scoops

0:00:500:00:59

and scandals. And, in Scotland, the newspaper industry was one of the

0:00:590:01:06

most fiercely competitive in the English-speaking world. Its readers

0:01:060:01:10

are were amongst the most keen. But the home-grown Scottish press has

0:01:100:01:15

been hit by a perfect storm. Advertising sales are in long-term

0:01:150:01:23

decline. Some readers have told to UK wait tables like the Daily Mail,

0:01:230:01:28

the Times and the Telegraph, others have given up on newspapers. I read

0:01:280:01:37

it all online. I just read it online. Since 2,000, sales of the

0:01:370:01:40

Daily Record have fallen by more than half. The Scotsman has seen

0:01:410:01:45

circulation fall by two-thirds. And the Herald can hardly take much

0:01:450:01:51

comfort. Journalist and broadcaster Andrew Neil was publisher of the

0:01:510:01:56

Scotsman for several years under its former owners. When we took

0:01:560:02:00

over this course win Group in the mid- 1990s Scottish newspapers was

0:02:000:02:04

Back's still very important. The Scotsman and the Herald had helped

0:02:040:02:11

circulations and were not in the decline. It was a struggle to keep

0:02:110:02:14

circulation up and invest in the papers and the marketing or them

0:02:150:02:23

but they were not in the knacker's yard. And, devolution was finally

0:02:230:02:27

becoming a role hit -- a reality. Some journalists believe that

0:02:280:02:31

devolution would not have happened without newspapers. The received

0:02:310:02:35

wisdom was that the new Scottish parliament could only help Scottish

0:02:350:02:42

newspapers. By 1997 with devolution, the press was still very important,

0:02:420:02:47

not as important as in 1979, but it would have been unwise for any

0:02:470:02:53

party to ignore the press. And there was no doubt they played a

0:02:530:02:57

very important part in the lead up to the referendum and indeed, to

0:02:570:03:04

the result of the referendum. how influential will the press be

0:03:040:03:07

in the independence referendum? Papers like the Scotsman and the

0:03:070:03:12

Herald could have an influence, but it is most likely that, if they

0:03:120:03:16

have any influence is because the politicians think they have got it.

0:03:160:03:21

Politicians are becoming aware of the fact that they do not have to

0:03:210:03:26

be as worried about newspapers as in the past. So, it is the fear of

0:03:260:03:30

those whose bid was that might have given them in flowers, rather than

0:03:300:03:37

reality. During the referendum, how much longer can use rivers like the

0:03:370:03:41

Herald and the Scotsman survive in their traditional form? Don't

0:03:410:03:45

forget, the real historical strength not of the Aberdeen and

0:03:460:03:49

then the newspapers but the Scotsman and they Herald is, we do

0:03:490:03:53

what all the London newspapers do, we just do Scotland as well and we

0:03:530:03:59

just do it as well, too, and now, the Revenue is coming in, and that

0:03:590:04:05

is impossible. They are in terminal decline and I cannot see any way

0:04:050:04:11

that it can be reversed. Scotland is not unique. Newspaper

0:04:110:04:17

sales have been falling across the developed world. Some newspapers in

0:04:170:04:22

United States are known only on the internet. But, generally, the sales

0:04:220:04:28

of UK-wide peoples have held up better than Scottish titles. The

0:04:280:04:32

Scottish edition of the Daily Mail sells more than the Herald and the

0:04:320:04:37

Scotsman put together. Can the industry of all, like the buildings

0:04:370:04:41

where the people's were ones printed? This famous Glasgow

0:04:410:04:44

building was at the centre of the Scottish newspaper rolled, for

0:04:440:04:49

decades. Even the design was inspired by the London headquarters

0:04:490:04:54

of the Daily Express. That is because, for 40 years, this was the

0:04:540:04:59

home of the Scottish Daily Express. Later, for many years, it was the

0:04:590:05:08

home of the Herald. Today, it is flats and offices. Can these be the

0:05:080:05:15

industry prove critics wrong and evolve? -- can the newspaper

0:05:160:05:24

industry, just like the bars that the journalists frequented. I'm

0:05:240:05:27

joined now by the newly appointed director of the Scottish Newspaper

0:05:270:05:29

Society, Jim Chisholm and by Professor Philip Schlesinger of

0:05:290:05:33

Glasgow University. Is Andrew Neil right? You cannot deny the figures.

0:05:330:05:39

There it is obviously decline of circulation and those you see, it

0:05:390:05:44

is happening all across Europe and the Western rock. But, newspapers

0:05:440:05:48

are evolving in their own right. Circulation is only a small pot of

0:05:480:05:54

the definition of the business. Audiences are stable in terms of

0:05:540:05:58

readership. Just yesterday figures come out for the first time which

0:05:580:06:05

showed that online, we have 40% as many readers as we have a in print.

0:06:050:06:12

Is this stable in terms of readership? Circulations have been

0:06:120:06:20

falling, readership has not been falling, as fast. They a share in

0:06:200:06:25

newspapers? Yes, I am reading fewer newspapers, that cannot be denied,

0:06:250:06:28

but if you look at the online statistics were people are

0:06:280:06:34

transferring to digital, one-third of the market now is people reading

0:06:340:06:39

in the digital world, so the total audience for the past two years has

0:06:390:06:46

been rising. The problem they have his they do not make money off of

0:06:460:06:51

those. It might well be healthy that people or reading the Scotsman

0:06:510:06:56

and the Herald online, but other Scotsman and the Herald making any

0:06:560:07:02

money, surely not as much as people buying the newspaper. That is

0:07:020:07:07

absolutely true. That is the same the world over apart from people

0:07:070:07:13

like the New York Times. As the audiences grow, which they are, in

0:07:130:07:19

the advertising revenue will follow. But that has not happened online.

0:07:190:07:23

People have been saying what people -- what you have just said for 10

0:07:230:07:28

or 12 years and it does not happen. Yes, for a number of reasons, many

0:07:280:07:33

of them social. It is not just newspapers that allow a in pickling,

0:07:330:07:37

broadcast news is declining just as fast and audiences are moving at

0:07:370:07:41

the same rate. As we gather critical mass, the revenues are

0:07:410:07:46

coming in and they would dispute the suggestion we're losing money.

0:07:460:07:53

They are not making vast amounts. In general they are breaking even.

0:07:530:07:59

Do you agree with Andrew Neil? Terminal is pretty different, I

0:07:590:08:04

think. I think the press will be important up to the next referendum,

0:08:040:08:08

no question about that, I will continue to be important,

0:08:080:08:14

thereafter. The form of journalism is changing and the migration to

0:08:140:08:20

digital is changing what we think of as journalism. The Scottish

0:08:200:08:24

newspapers can envisage a way of selling themselves which is high-

0:08:240:08:28

quality journalism, whatever the form of distribution, then they

0:08:280:08:36

have got a future. That is the big challenge. The trouble with high-

0:08:360:08:42

quality journalism is that it is expensive. The picture is one of

0:08:420:08:47

this investment and it is understandable that it is counter-

0:08:470:08:53

productive. It is undermining the chances of creating a formidable

0:08:530:08:57

presence in the case of the quality press. One thing that has intrigued

0:08:570:09:05

me about that report, people have not just the indigenous Scottish

0:09:050:09:08

newspaper circulations going down, more people are drifting away from

0:09:080:09:12

those, two things like the Daily Mail, the Guardian and the Times,

0:09:130:09:17

there is slightly surprising as a trend, says the Scottish roll-up

0:09:170:09:22

has been created. Of these newspapers covering Scotland are

0:09:220:09:27

better, or are people not as interested in the constitutional

0:09:270:09:32

stuff as maybe they should be? Maybe there is some sort of

0:09:320:09:36

substitution going on. They are certainly not covering Scotland

0:09:360:09:41

better, there is no question they are. They have a more attractive

0:09:410:09:45

journalistic proposition. The news values and the quality of the

0:09:450:09:49

journalism is better and that is why people are my gritting there.

0:09:490:09:56

That is a problem, isn't it? -- migrating. Even though the work

0:09:560:10:03

should be able to cover Affairs in Scotland, it implies people are

0:10:030:10:06

interested in the Affairs of Scotland but not too extent of

0:10:060:10:10

buying a newspaper that will enable better journalism there. Three

0:10:100:10:15

points in that discussion. The English press has a strong presence,

0:10:150:10:20

about one-third of the daily market, more a function of the fact that

0:10:200:10:24

they were not there before and they are, now. That is because they have

0:10:240:10:28

been able to enter the market, discounting heavily to get into the

0:10:280:10:32

market. They have got strong newsrooms in Scotland and can do

0:10:320:10:39

Scottish editions. It is like the evolution of radio displaced media

0:10:400:10:44

before that. Television displaced radio, the Internet is displacing,

0:10:440:10:49

this is an evolution of media consumption and when newspapers

0:10:500:10:54

appear that were not there before, they are going to take some of the

0:10:540:11:01

market if they can deliver the service. Where I would dispute that

0:11:010:11:06

is, first of all, you have to differentiate the world "quality".

0:11:060:11:10

There is a difference in quality newspapers which is a badge that we

0:11:100:11:15

put on the posh papers, and quality journalism. Underrating that it is

0:11:150:11:21

very interesting -- and they think that it is very interesting that

0:11:210:11:26

the Sun and the Daily Record are "tabloid" newspapers does not mean

0:11:260:11:33

the quality of the writing in those newspapers is poorer. That was a

0:11:340:11:39

very pure insinuation that was me that is just not the case.

0:11:390:11:44

other point that I would make is that, because there has been, and

0:11:440:11:53

so, no doubt about it, -- down so, no doubt about it... I take the

0:11:530:11:56

point that there is good writing in the tabloids, but their

0:11:560:12:04

circulations have been falling, as well. Yes, you have to

0:12:040:12:11

differentiate that the writing in them is not any worse. The key

0:12:110:12:14

point in what we have called the quality press historically is the

0:12:140:12:20

range of what they, and the debt with which they cover it. Scottish

0:12:200:12:23

affairs during the previous referendum, for example, that has

0:12:230:12:29

been a key part of discussion within Scottish Society and the

0:12:290:12:37

You think the papers set an agenda in the way they did in the period

0:12:370:12:43

leading up to 1997 or 1979? I don't think they are at the present time.

0:12:430:12:49

I think we are in a kind of a strange quite confusing situation

0:12:490:12:53

about precisely what the terms of the referendum are going to be and

0:12:530:12:57

precisely what the nature of the debate is going to be. We also

0:12:570:13:02

haven't got clear-cut campaigning on both sides at the present time.

0:13:020:13:06

Ock, but you would presumably agree they have to up their game if they

0:13:060:13:12

are to have a future? I don't think it is so much they have to up their

0:13:120:13:15

game My opinion the cuts that have taken place are cuts that should

0:13:150:13:19

have taken place. You commented that quality newspapers are more

0:13:190:13:24

expensive to produce, but the reality is when you examine what

0:13:240:13:29

people read, more upmarket readers have less time to read, so they

0:13:290:13:32

leave less. The fact that papers are producing less content is more

0:13:320:13:37

in line with the lifestyle of the people reading them. That's a fact.

0:13:370:13:41

Therefore if we are seeing less content that isn't necessarily a

0:13:410:13:45

bad thing as long as we are seeing good content. We have a wide range

0:13:450:13:51

of quality writers across the board. That includes the weekly papers,

0:13:510:13:59

The Courier, and others. When you analyse the in-depth-quality

0:13:590:14:03

writing that people want and they have the time to read, newspapers

0:14:030:14:07

are holding up very well. Thank you both very much indeed.

0:14:070:14:10

It's not quite up there with the Monarch of the Glen as a symbol of

0:14:100:14:13

the Scottish spirit, but Scotland has nonetheless always taken a

0:14:130:14:16

certain pride in the uniqueness of the Highland wildcat. Now, it seems,

0:14:160:14:23

the creature might be more unique than anybody thought. The wildcat

0:14:230:14:32

finds itself an exotic, distinguished but unwanted confirm

0:14:320:14:40

company like this chameleon from Madagascar, the Sumatran rhino, and

0:14:400:14:44

this Vietnam pheasant, which hasn't been sighted for 12 years. Bigger,

0:14:440:14:50

stronger and more aggressive than a domestic cat, the highland wildcat

0:14:500:14:55

has been on the cusp of extinction for years, due in large part to

0:14:550:15:00

disease and its awilt to breed easily with domestic or federal

0:15:000:15:05

cats, creating a hybrid. Last month Scottish Natural Heritage gloomily

0:15:050:15:10

reported there were only about 400 of the animals across the entire

0:15:100:15:14

Highlands. The sparsity of the population makes it difficult to

0:15:140:15:18

make an accurate study of them. Experts for example can't even say

0:15:180:15:23

for sure whether this footage captured by the BBC's Autumn Watch

0:15:230:15:28

captured by the BBC's Autumn Watch programme is of a true wildcat. But

0:15:280:15:31

recent installations of photo traps have yielded some impressive

0:15:310:15:39

results. Now, though, the Scottish Wildcat

0:15:390:15:43

Association says there could be as few as 35 wildcats left. Their

0:15:430:15:48

verdict: The animal will be extinct within months. Anything else is

0:15:480:15:55

blind hope. But could there been an unrecorded population of the

0:15:550:15:59

creatures living in remote Caithness and Sutherland.

0:15:590:16:04

Conservationists hope so and they want to improve DNA techniques, so

0:16:040:16:09

they can have a more accurate measure of what's or isn't a

0:16:090:16:16

wildcat. If this cat survives, it is likely to be by a whisker, or it

0:16:160:16:18

will disappear like this poor thing. will disappear like this poor thing.

0:16:180:16:20

I'm joined now from Edinburgh by Dr Andrew Kitchener, principal curator

0:16:200:16:26

of mammals at the National Museums of Scotland and a wildcat expert.

0:16:260:16:30

What's your best guess as to how many of these animals are still

0:16:300:16:38

around? We don't really know and we really need to do some robust

0:16:380:16:41

scientifically based population experts. My Bess guess is there are

0:16:410:16:50

hundreds, not tense, but we need to research to find out. So you would

0:16:500:16:58

rather piano-piano this, that they -- poo-poo this, that they will be

0:16:580:17:03

gone within months. Everyone is just really guessing. What would we

0:17:030:17:07

have to do should we decide it was vitally important these things do

0:17:070:17:12

not die out? We need to have a comprehensive, fully costed

0:17:120:17:16

conservation action plan. We can't pussyfoot around. We've got to be

0:17:170:17:22

bold and brave. I take it when you said "pussyfoot" you were trying to

0:17:220:17:28

make a joke? Maybe. But it is a serious business after all. The

0:17:280:17:32

Scottish Wildcat is entering the last chance saloon, but there is

0:17:320:17:38

still time to do something about it. We must do the right thing. It is

0:17:380:17:42

an odd thing with wildcats, there are some animals like pandas that

0:17:420:17:48

seem to have evolved in such a way that it is easy for them to die out.

0:17:480:17:51

But the analogy with wildcats is because they are keen on breeding

0:17:510:17:55

with the local moggies that's the problem isn't? It is not that

0:17:550:18:02

people are hunting them. But they themselves are breeding themselves

0:18:020:18:06

into hybridity? That is a problem, probably going on for a century or

0:18:060:18:13

more. The problem is the wildcat nearly became extinct in the 20th

0:18:130:18:16

century. Then the persecution pressure was released and they

0:18:160:18:20

started to recolonise. The meals found themselves in areas where

0:18:200:18:23

there weren't any female wildcats and they only had the local

0:18:230:18:29

domestic cats to turn to. Does it really matter? As I understand it

0:18:290:18:34

that was a false thing I said, because they are not like a dodo,

0:18:340:18:40

they are not a species, just a Scottish population of wildcats

0:18:400:18:44

which aren't actually globally even endangered? I think the wildcat in

0:18:440:18:49

Europe is endangered. Wildcats are not just souped up domestic cats.

0:18:490:18:53

They have a distinct fossil history that goes back 2 million years.

0:18:530:18:58

accept that, I'm not saying they are not different from domestic

0:18:580:19:03

cats, but the Scottish wildcats are simply a Scottish population of the

0:19:030:19:06

European wildcat, so it is not a separate species. There are

0:19:060:19:11

thousands of these things across Europe. There may well be but all

0:19:110:19:16

populations in Europe are under pressure and all are suffer trg

0:19:160:19:21

this problem of hybrid isation. We can't assume just if we lose our

0:19:220:19:25

wildcat we can import some from somewhere else they will be OK,

0:19:250:19:30

because they are not doing well in Europe too. I'm not sure how you

0:19:300:19:34

stop them breeding with the local moggies. Is it even possible?

0:19:340:19:37

we need to do more research to understand the environmental and

0:19:370:19:43

the social conditions under which hybridisation curse. It doesn't

0:19:430:19:48

occur everywhere in Europe equally Some population it is a real

0:19:490:19:54

problem but in others it isn't. just because British people like

0:19:540:19:58

keeping domestic cats more than other people do? No, I think it is

0:19:580:20:02

this special set of circumstances where the wildcat was recolonising

0:20:020:20:08

vast areas of Scotland after the First World War. We have similar

0:20:080:20:12

situations that have occurred elsewhere in Europe. Where the

0:20:120:20:17

populations tend to be stable, there's been no persecution

0:20:170:20:22

pressure, the level of hybridisation does seem to be much

0:20:220:20:26

less. Thank you very much indeed. Tomorrow's front pages. The

0:20:260:20:30

Scotsman, almost half of care hold elderly are kept sedated for

0:20:300:20:35

Download Subtitles

SRT

ASS