A parliamentary reception held at Holyrood this week spotlighted the ongoing efforts to protect and strengthen public interest journalism in Scotland through the creation of a new independent body, the Scottish Public Interest Journalism Institute (SPIJI).
SPIJI was conceived in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which severely impacted freelance and local journalists across Scotland. A working group was set up by the Scottish Government in early 2021 bringing together journalists, academics, and media leaders.
In November 2021, they published a report entitled Scotland’s News – towards a sustainable future for public interest journalism, which included recommendations to support and fund a sustainable press and public interest journalism.
One of the recommendations was the establishment of:
“a new Scottish Public Interest Journalism Institute” – a high-profile independent body that draws on a wide range of resources to develop public interest journalism for Scotland, co-ordinating new and existing initiatives and strategically administering grant funding to support a diverse, pluralistic and sustainable Scottish public interest media sector.”
The group has continued to meet since it was wound up by the Scottish Government and the event in Holyrood was to highlight the work that has been done and the launch of a new Community Interest Company.
Against a backdrop of shrinking newsrooms, rising disinformation and the closure of local publications, speakers at the briefing warned of the risks to not only the careers of budding Scottish journalists but of democratic life in Scotland itself, if quality journalism continues to decline.
“These are difficult times for investigative journalists,” were the opening words of James Dornan, MSP, who chaired the event.
The event was sponsored by James Dornan MSP. After he gave his opening remarks highlighting how “these are difficult times for investigative journalists”, Angus Robertson, Cabinet Secretary for Constitution, External Affairs and Culture (and a former journalist himself) spoke next.
He acknowledged both the challenges and the essential role of journalism: “It does grieve me how little room there is for international coverage in Scottish newsrooms,” he said. “Today’s event comes at a pivotal moment, where the freedoms of the press is constantly challenged and trustworthy news articles are harder to come by.”
SPIJI is being chaired by Richard Walker, former editor of the Sunday Herald and founding editor of The National. He said they’ve already applied to register SPIJI as a companyand have appointed directors.
“We’ve taken some important steps in terms of getting SPIJI up and running,” said Walker. “We are registering as a company in Companies House… we expect to be registered in a month’s time. This would allow SPIJI to start fundraising.”
Walker praised support from other governments in the UK, noting: “I feel like it’s important to mention that this year the Welsh Government set aside £350,000 for public interest journalism [through Creative Wales].”
Walker also addressed broader challenges: “When we say news deserts, we don’t just mean there is no news in those areas. That also means Scottish newsrooms are a shadow of themselves.
“The racial diversity and class diversity just isn’t where it should be and this means those journalists who have insight into matters actually affecting them, aren’t getting the opportunity to write about it. This is essential for a healthy democracy.”
Among SPIJI’s priorities are:
- Establishing funding streams for public interest journalism projects
- Mapping and responding to news deserts in Scotland
- Promoting diversity within Scottish newsrooms
- Offering media literacy training to help the public distinguish between misinformation and genuine journalism
Joyce McMillan, a member of the SPIJI steering group and chair of the NUJ Freelance Scotland Branch, reflected on how badly freelancers were hit during the pandemic: “Our branch suffered greatly but across the industry this was felt,” she said. “So in 2021 we produced a report detailing a landscape in which Scottish journalism could thrive, not just survive.”
She also emphasised the importance of specialist reporting: “We need dedicated specialist correspondence in areas like agriculture, which will become increasingly important in years to come because of climate change.”
McMillan also warned of deeper structural issues: “There’s a real danger around the representativeness of journalism, wherein it has become a sort of ‘rich kids playground’ like the arts, in that only those who can afford to do it, will.”
Jen Stout, journalist and author of Night Train to Odessa, echoed Joyce’s concerns, highlighting how the funding for serious journalism has withered: “There are papers offering journalists £50 to cover a warzone. I even know of people who’ve worked down in London on several unpaid internships. Let’s be realistic. It’s not working-class kids doing this – it’s rich kids who can afford to.”
Nick McGowan-Lowe, National Organiser for the NUJ, offered a frontline perspective: “I’m often the person people phone when something goes wrong. This means I’m probably not the most fun at parties but it does mean that I have some good insight into the experiences of journalists working in newsrooms up and down the country and the challenges they are facing.”
He praised the quality of journalism still being produced in Scotland but didn’t shy away from the crisis: “Let’s be clear, there is no area in journalism immune from what is happening to the industry,” he said, referencing cuts at outlets like STV, “but none more than local journalism, which is acutely affected by this.”
In reference to The Shetland Times, a paper that has been family owned for generations, being sold off to a company that he said “will likely not be Shetland based”, warns: “If this trend continues, Scotland’s media will disappear and we will not get it back.”
MSP, Richard Leonard, also in attendance closed with a stark warning of the current ownership of Scotland’s media and further making the case for SPIJI: “There’s a huge concentration of ownership of our media in the UK… My understanding is people are apprehensive of a Public Interest Journalism Institute because they don’t want ‘state-owned media’ But it is possible to have institutions that are publicly funded and operate independently and separate from politics.”
As SPIJI moves from concept to fruition, its leaders hope to build a resilient, independent Scottish media landscape rooted in public service, not just commercial viability. With growing recognition of journalism’s role in democracy, SPIJI may offer Scotland a much-needed lifeline.
