The Scottishness of the Scottish Press: 1918–39

Abstract

This article considers the impact of new levels of competition and a changing political definition of Scottishness upon the way that Scottish newspapers sought to construct their content as Scottish during the inter-war period. Through an analysis of their content this article considers the extent to which Scottish newspapers concentrated upon events in Scotland, the manner in which local Scottish events were represented as Scottish national events, and the techniques that they employed to brand themselves as Scottish products. It concludes that these combined to position Scottish papers as Scottish ‘nationals’ rather than as local papers. It further identifies the use of similar techniques by the London-based ‘nationals’ at that time, suggesting that the tendency to address their readership as a national community is the defining characteristic of national news media in general.