Not to have print media would be to lose a vital part of our history
records they have. But it would probably come as a surprise that the best historical record of that period is in the pages of the local and national newspapers, carefully preserved as a valuable record by the library.
It occurs to me that if we go down the path of dismissing print newspapers as having had their day and as a relic of the past, we will inevitably run the risk of missing the most vital role the print medium can play.
Newspapers are a repository, the record of the facts, of the events of our history and our families and the views of those who shaped or were shaped by their times. It is the facts, not so much the opinions, that are important: the court appearances, the marriages, the divorces, the scandals. These provide the blueprint for a period in history, available in the public record in black and white for all to see.
The local newspaper provides a snapshot of what is happening at that time, in that place, at that moment in history. Delve into your local newspaper archive and see your parents’ wedding picture, your graduation picture and who was in court from your local village.
Not to have a print media, staffed by journalists who report the facts, would be to lose a vital part of our history. We should do all we can to protect that vital aspect.
As the clamour for press regulation takes up hours of news time, the focus of our attention has been on what is really a small number of journalists who broke the law. But the impact of regulation will be felt in local and regional papers across the country, the very newspapers that provide a crucial role in their communities and have never broken the law in their lives.
In Edinburgh the local evening newspaper broke the baby ashes scandal story in the city. It is the local paper that people rely on to have their story heard and to ask the questions they often cannot otherwise ask. Newspaper sites aside, can the internet accurately document and capture the real facts in the same way and ensure they are kept for research and interest?
Newspapers must find new ways to better sustain themselves. On the matter of retaining readers and attracting a new generation, is it about being one step ahead when it comes to innovation or is it about seeking new commercial opportunities to generate revenue?
What will happens if courts and councils are not open to the independent scrutiny of the local reporter? In recent months in Dunfermline Sheriff Court a Fife woman was jailed for threatening US President Barack Obama.
This interesting story went through court unnoticed and came to light only a few weeks later when it was mentioned at a council meeting. In 100 years people might want to know about the bizarre connection between a community in Fife, Scotland and the President of one of the world’s superpowers, the United States.
A healthy democratic process depends on a vigilant media being present to witness what is happening when it happens and holding authority in its various guises to account.