The Scotsman is a
ScottishScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
national
newspaperA newspaper is a publication containing news, information, and advertising. General-interest newspapers often feature articles on political events, crime, business, art/entertainment, society and sports. Most traditional papers also feature an editorial page containing columns that express the...
, published in
EdinburghEdinburgh is the capital city of Scotland. It is the second largest Scottish city, after Glasgow, and the seventh-most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas....
.
As of July 2009 it had an audited circulation of 45,080., a significant drop from an approximately 100,000 circulation in the 1980s.
Since 16 August 2004, it has been printed in
compactA compact newspaper is a broadsheet-quality newspaper printed in a tabloid format, especially one in the United Kingdom. The term came into use in its current use when The Independent began producing a smaller format edition for London's commuters, designed to be easier to read on the...
format. Its sister Sunday publication, which remains
broadsheetBroadsheet is the largest of the various newspaper formats and is characterized by long vertical pages . The term derives from types of popular prints usually just of a single sheet, sold on the streets and containing various types of matter, from ballads to political satire. The first broadsheet...
, is titled
Scotland on SundayScotland on Sunday is a Scottish Sunday newspaper, published in Edinburgh by The Scotsman Publications Ltd and consequently assuming the role of Sunday sister to its daily stablemate The Scotsman...
.
The Scotsman Publications LtdThe Scotsman Publications Limited is the parent company of The Scotsman, Scotland on Sunday, Edinburgh Evening News and Herald & Post newspapers, and of the website....
also produces the
Edinburgh Evening NewsThe Edinburgh Evening News is a local newspaper based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is published daily . It has a circulation of 68,000 and is owned by Johnston Press, which also owns The Scotsman and many regional titles throughout the UK.Much of the copy contained in the Evening News concerns local...
and the Herald & Post series of free newspapers in Edinburgh,
FifeFife is a council area of Scotland, situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire. It was originally one of the Pictish kingdoms, known as Fib, and is still commonly known as the Kingdom of Fife within Scotland.It is a...
, and
West LothianWest Lothian is one of the 32 unitary council areas in Scotland, and a Lieutenancy area. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Scottish Borders, South Lanarkshire, North Lanarkshire and Falkirk....
.
The Scotsman was launched in 1817 as a
liberalLiberalism is the belief in the importance of individual freedom. This belief is widely accepted today throughout the world, and was recognized as an important value by many philosophers throughout history...
weekly newspaper by
lawyerA lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person licensed to practice law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain stability, and deliver...
William Ritchie and
customsCustoms is an authority or agency in a country responsible for collecting and safeguarding customs duties and for controlling the flow of goods including animals, personal effects and hazardous items in and out of a country. Depending on local legislation and regulations, the import or export of...
official
Charles MaclarenCharles Maclaren was a Scottish editor born in Ormiston, Haddingtonshire, the son of a farmer and cattle-dealer. He was almost entirely self-educated, and when a young man became a clerk in Edinburgh. In 1817, with others, he established The Scotsman newspaper in Edinburgh and at first acted as...
in response to the "unblushing subservience" of competing newspapers to the Edinburgh establishment.
The Scotsman is a
ScottishScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
national
newspaperA newspaper is a publication containing news, information, and advertising. General-interest newspapers often feature articles on political events, crime, business, art/entertainment, society and sports. Most traditional papers also feature an editorial page containing columns that express the...
, published in
EdinburghEdinburgh is the capital city of Scotland. It is the second largest Scottish city, after Glasgow, and the seventh-most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas....
.
As of July 2009 it had an audited circulation of 45,080., a significant drop from an approximately 100,000 circulation in the 1980s.
Since 16 August 2004, it has been printed in
compactA compact newspaper is a broadsheet-quality newspaper printed in a tabloid format, especially one in the United Kingdom. The term came into use in its current use when The Independent began producing a smaller format edition for London's commuters, designed to be easier to read on the...
format. Its sister Sunday publication, which remains
broadsheetBroadsheet is the largest of the various newspaper formats and is characterized by long vertical pages . The term derives from types of popular prints usually just of a single sheet, sold on the streets and containing various types of matter, from ballads to political satire. The first broadsheet...
, is titled
Scotland on SundayScotland on Sunday is a Scottish Sunday newspaper, published in Edinburgh by The Scotsman Publications Ltd and consequently assuming the role of Sunday sister to its daily stablemate The Scotsman...
.
The Scotsman Publications LtdThe Scotsman Publications Limited is the parent company of The Scotsman, Scotland on Sunday, Edinburgh Evening News and Herald & Post newspapers, and of the website....
also produces the
Edinburgh Evening NewsThe Edinburgh Evening News is a local newspaper based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is published daily . It has a circulation of 68,000 and is owned by Johnston Press, which also owns The Scotsman and many regional titles throughout the UK.Much of the copy contained in the Evening News concerns local...
and the Herald & Post series of free newspapers in Edinburgh,
FifeFife is a council area of Scotland, situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire. It was originally one of the Pictish kingdoms, known as Fib, and is still commonly known as the Kingdom of Fife within Scotland.It is a...
, and
West LothianWest Lothian is one of the 32 unitary council areas in Scotland, and a Lieutenancy area. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Scottish Borders, South Lanarkshire, North Lanarkshire and Falkirk....
.
History
The Scotsman was launched in 1817 as a
liberalLiberalism is the belief in the importance of individual freedom. This belief is widely accepted today throughout the world, and was recognized as an important value by many philosophers throughout history...
weekly newspaper by
lawyerA lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person licensed to practice law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain stability, and deliver...
William Ritchie and
customsCustoms is an authority or agency in a country responsible for collecting and safeguarding customs duties and for controlling the flow of goods including animals, personal effects and hazardous items in and out of a country. Depending on local legislation and regulations, the import or export of...
official
Charles MaclarenCharles Maclaren was a Scottish editor born in Ormiston, Haddingtonshire, the son of a farmer and cattle-dealer. He was almost entirely self-educated, and when a young man became a clerk in Edinburgh. In 1817, with others, he established The Scotsman newspaper in Edinburgh and at first acted as...
in response to the "unblushing subservience" of competing newspapers to the Edinburgh establishment. The paper was pledged to "impartiality, firmness and independence". After the abolition of newspaper stamp tax in Scotland in 1850,
The Scotsman was relaunched as a daily newspaper priced at
1d£sd was the popular name for the pre-decimal currencies used in the United Kingdom and in most of the British Empire. This abbreviation meant “pounds, shillings, and pence”, and was usually pronounced that way, having originated from the Latin words “librae, solidi, denarii”...
and a circulation of 6000 copies.
In 1953 the newspaper was bought by
CanadianCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
millionaire
Roy ThomsonRoy Herbert Thomson, 1st Baron Thomson of Fleet GBE was a Canadian newspaper proprietor and media entrepreneur.-Career:...
who was in the process of building an enormous media empire. The paper was in 1995 bought by billionaires
David and Frederick BarclaySir David Barclay and Sir Frederick Barclay are British businessmen. The identical twin brothers have very substantial business interests primarily in media, retail and property. The Sunday Times Rich List of 2007 estimated their wealth at £1.8 billion. They have earned a reputation for avoiding...
for £85 million. They moved the newspaper from its traditional Edinburgh office on
North BridgeNorth Bridge is a road bridge and street in Edinburgh linking the High Street with Princes Street, and the New Town with the Old. The current bridge was built between 1894–97. A previous North Bridge, built from 1763–72, stood until 1896....
, which is now an
upmarket hotelThe Scotsman Hotel Edinburgh opened in 2001 in the Victorian building which had housed The Scotsman newspaper for nearly a century. The hotel is located on North Bridge between the Royal Mile and Princes Street, thereby straddling Edinburgh’s Medieval Old Town and Georgian New Town.- Ownership...
, to state-of-the-art offices on Holyrood Road designed by Edinburgh architects CDA, near where the
Scottish Parliament BuildingThe Scottish Parliament Building is the home of the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood, within the UNESCO World Heritage Site in central Edinburgh. Construction of the building commenced in June 1999 and the Members of the Scottish Parliament held their first debate in the new building on Tuesday,...
was subsequently built.
In December 2005,
The Scotsman was acquired, in a £160 million deal, by its current owners
Johnston PressJohnston Press plc is a newspaper publisher based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It runs The Scotsman publications and other newspapers around the United Kingdom and in the Republic of Ireland and the Isle of Man. It is the second largest local newspaper publisher in the UK...
a company founded in Scotland and now one of the top three largest local newspaper publishers in the UK as well as a major force on the internet.
John McLellan has been the editor since February 2009. He is vice chair of the Scottish Daily Newspapers Editors Committee and a trustee of
Radio ForthRadio Forth is a group owning two radio stations based in Edinburgh. The stations broadcast to Edinburgh, The Lothians and Fife.-History:Radio Forth was launched on 22 January 1975 by current chairman Richard Findlay. His opening speech included "This, for the very first time is Radio Forth"...
Cash For Kids appeal. He was previously editor of the Journal in Newcastle until 2003. He has previously edited
Scotland On SundayScotland on Sunday is a Scottish Sunday newspaper, published in Edinburgh by The Scotsman Publications Ltd and consequently assuming the role of Sunday sister to its daily stablemate The Scotsman...
' and the Edinburgh Evening NewsThe Edinburgh Evening News is a local newspaper based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is published daily . It has a circulation of 68,000 and is owned by Johnston Press, which also owns The Scotsman and many regional titles throughout the UK.Much of the copy contained in the Evening News concerns local...
for Scotsman Publications.
The last decade or so has seen the paper replaced by The Herald as the pre-eminent Scottish
quality newspaperBroadsheet is the largest of the various newspaper formats and is characterized by long vertical pages . The term derives from types of popular prints usually just of a single sheet, sold on the streets and containing various types of matter, from ballads to political satire. The first broadsheet...
in terms of readership.
Editors
- 1817: William Ritchie
- 1817: Charles Maclaren
Charles Maclaren was a Scottish editor born in Ormiston, Haddingtonshire, the son of a farmer and cattle-dealer. He was almost entirely self-educated, and when a young man became a clerk in Edinburgh. In 1817, with others, he established The Scotsman newspaper in Edinburgh and at first acted as...
- 1818: John Ramsay McCulloch
John Ramsey McCulloch , widely regarded as the leader of the Ricardian school of economists after the death of David Ricardo in 1823, was appointed the first professor of political economy at University College London in 1828...
- 1843: John Hill Burton
John Hill Burton was a Scottish historian, jurist, and economist. He was Historiographer Royal 1867-1881.Burton was born and educated in Aberdeen, the son of W K Burton by his spouse Eliza Paton. After graduating, he moved to Edinburgh and studied for the Bar, being admitted to the Faculty of...
(acting)
- 1846: Alexander Russel
- 1876: Robert Wallace
- 1880: Charles Alfred Cooper
- 1905: John Pettigrew Croal
- 1924: George A. Waters
- 1944: James Murray Watson
- 1955: John Buchanan (acting)
- 1956: Alastair Dunnett
Sir Alastair MacTavish Dunnett was a Scottish journalist and newspaper editor. He edited The Daily Record newspaper for nine years and The Scotsman newspaper from 1956 to 1972. In 1975 he became chairman of Thomson Scottish Petroleum and was much involved in the establishment of the oil...
- 1972: Eric MacKay
George Eric Mackay was an English minor poet, now remembered as the sponging half-brother of Marie Corelli, the best-selling novelist...
- 1985: Chris Baur
- 1988: Magnus Linklater
Magnus Linklater is a Scottish journalist and former newspaper editor.-Life:Linklater was born in Orkney, and is the son of Scottish writer Eric Linklater. He was brought up in Easter Ross, attending the local school at Nigg before moving to high school in Dunbar, East Lothian, then on to Eton...
- 1994: Andrew Jaspan
Andrew Jaspan, a British journalist, was appointed in October, 2004, as Editor-in-Chief of The Age, a broadsheet daily newspaper published in Melbourne, Australia. Prior to this appointment, he was the founder and editor of the Sunday Herald in Scotland from 1999 to 2004...
- 1995: James Seaton
- Life :James Everett Seaton, Professor, Department of English, Michigan State University.James Seaton was born in Iowa, received B. A. from the University of Illinois at Urbana, and .earned a Ph. D. in English and Comparative Literature with a major in Greek and Latin from the University of Iowa...
- 1997: Martin Clarke
- 1998: Alan Ruddock
- 2000: Tim Luckhurst
Tim Luckhurst is Professor of Journalism at the University of Kent , head of the university's Centre for Journalism . He is best known as a former editor of 'The Scotsman' Scotland's national newspaper. He began his career as a journalist on BBC Radio 4's Today Programme for which he produced,...
- 2000: Rebecca Hardy
- 2001: Iain Martin
- 2004: John McGurk
- 2006: Mike Gilson
- 2009: John McLellan
John McLellan was a Canadian professional hockey player and coach in the National Hockey League. He was a member of teams that won the Memorial Cup, the Allan Cup and the world championships....
Source:
The Scotsman Digital Archive
Scotsman.com
Since 1998, the Scotsman has had an internet portal that features the latest news, sports, business, property, motors and sport in different sections of the site. It has had live webcams and panoramas around
ScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. It also has sections for other Scotsman Publications including
Scotland on SundayScotland on Sunday is a Scottish Sunday newspaper, published in Edinburgh by The Scotsman Publications Ltd and consequently assuming the role of Sunday sister to its daily stablemate The Scotsman...
and the
Evening NewsThe Edinburgh Evening News is a local newspaper based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is published daily . It has a circulation of 68,000 and is owned by Johnston Press, which also owns The Scotsman and many regional titles throughout the UK.Much of the copy contained in the Evening News concerns local...
.
External links