A happy combination of the Web Summit and the Word Mines has kept me away from here.
Yesterday I was making progress again on the sequel to The Squad when my attention was grabbed last night by some breaking news about a newspaper.
Ironically learned about the story from Twitter.
The tweet told me that Scotsman and other titles owned by Johnston Press had gone into administration.
I will declare an interest, the first time I ever had a by-line published in any newspaper was in the Scotsman.
A buddy of mine who worked as a staffer in North Bridge had shepherded the piece through the commissioning process.
That was in the mid-1980s.
By the time the readership of the Scotsman had read my op-ed I had already devoured Alvin Toffler’s “The Third Wave” and “Future Shock” some years previously.
Although I fully accepted his thesis I could not envisage that one day I would be part of what he coined “a de-massified media”.
For Toffler, the endpoint of the Third Wave technological revolution was what he termed the “electronic cottage”.
It captured my imagination as an antidote to the living hell of the industrialised cities of “Second Wave” civilisation.
These words blink to life on an Irish hillside.
I finally got there.
In 2011 professor Roy Greenslade of the City University and the Guardian gave a very prescient lecture to the NUJ’s Irish Conference.
You can listen to it here.
Roy’s analysis of the structural challenges to mass circulation newspapers remains unassailable in my view.
Professor Greenslade was keen to point out that revolutions, by their very nature, are chaotic.
Moreover, the revolutionary forces have zero respect for previous conventions.
Consequently, in the midst of the digital revolution mass circulation newspapers are caught in a perfect storm.
As I recall it took me several anxious weeks to find out if my piece would actually end up in the pages of the Scotsman.
Now, once I have finished off this piece I know that all I have to do is hit the “publish” button.
It will then instantly appear on small television screens in pockets across the planet.
Amazingly I have many more daily page views on this site than the Scotsman has purchased copies.
As Professor Greenslade noted this is a revolution.
When he said those words as I sat beside him I was reminded of the words of Frantz Fanon when he described the de-colonisation process; “it is a program of complete disorder”.
There is almost always a human cost in all major technological revolutions.
Therefore, today my thoughts are with all of the hard working staff throughout those Johnston Press titles.
Of course, these changes are taking place within a capitalist system that elevates the bottom line over the needs of the people who create real value.
I noted last night that by going into administration that Johnston Press would reportedly be able to avoid paying creditors and that pension payments would be reduced.
Classy…
Let’s hope the Mirror Group, or whatever they call themselves now are the next to go.
I must declare an interest. Having worked in the final part of the chain of delivering the news, ie selling papers.
I am naturally sad, that another nail goes in the coffin of the newsagent. Of course they have been reinventing themselves for decades now.
Newspapers to a shop are merely the “bite” factor. Getting them in the door type of thing.back in 70s n 80s most newsagents didn’t have alcohol license. So was for punter to buy chocolate, soft drink, pack of cigs as majority of adult population smoked.
Maybe some stationery or a greetings card. Essential grocery item or even a wee kids toy…..
Come 2000s most of these shut down and convenience stores, with booze and grocery took on the newspapers. Average % from every sale? 15-20%. Pretty slim margins.
Although all unsold stock is credited back to the vendor via the distribution agent. Which for most of UK and Ireland is the John Menzies group.
So I’m sad. I really am. It’s part of my heritage dying slowly.
But at same time. The pathetic journalism, especially in back pages only speeds it up. The Scotsman. The legendary Scotsman, is on example of pish sports journalism.
The herald. Formerly known as Glasgow herald is another in this sense. The death of these titles is not a bad thing. Fuck them and their “Rangers” news.
The record is slowly hitting the buffers. But with the mirror group propping up they will be around for some time. As will the sun with news international behind them. But declined it is.
Let’s put it another way. For incisive journalism. I pay via donate buttons. I would pay for it in paper format. But it just is not there.
And it’s all pro ibrox when comes to sport.
Administration…..it’s the establishment way of going out of business, the worst that can happen is they pay pennies in the pound to those they’ve shafted and owe money.
As you say classy.
Phil – this has come about due to the way that newspapers are currently run. .. for profit. It would be covering old ground if we were to mention the way reportage of the Rangers meltdown has been swept under the carpet, with PR puff-pieces replacing hard news. My only surprise is that MGN were not the ones to go into administration. The way the Daily Rangers is going, it can only be a matter of time, aided and abetted by their sports “journalists”.
Phil, great to hear you are working on a sequel to the squad which I enjoyed very much.
However, could you please employ better proof readers for this book?
There are always typos on an initial print run.
Apparently, this is what makes a first edition valuable.
If you’ve got a Harry Potter with typos you’re rich!
Sensitively crafted, and hopefully others commenting will resist opening up on their private thoughts which will only make innocent staff feel even worse.
Pensions are not only being “Reduced ” they are being passed onto the public Purse via PPF!