The Scottish newspaper industry in the digital era

Abstract

This article looks at the opportunities for and challenges to the national press in Scotland in the digital media era. Based on input from interviews with Scottish newspaper editors and managers and on reports about the current state of the industry, it explores how the changes that affect the press globally have impacted the Scottish market and how newspaper companies have reacted to them so far. It discusses the impact of the competition for readership and advertising in a small market with many players, the hope that the industry has placed in paywalls and portable digital devices, and argues that, despite widespread optimism among its members that the industry will successfully survive into the future, the business model that will ensure this survival is yet to be established.