News and Information

     Each morning I roll over and pull out my phone, flip amongst three news apps, and start my day. My dad flips through the news paper in the kitchen while my mom gets dressed with the local news anchor talking in the background. Although we all have our different methods, we each have our way of getting the news, its become a steady part of our routine, and what we find has become a topic of conversation we rely on. As I sat down to tackle this paper, I began to think about my routine and wonder what I would do without it and how it could differ in other countries. Not every country has the luxury to immediate updates on local or national news, a luxury we often take for granted.
    Scotland however, is a good example of a country who is fairly on par with how accessible their news is to the general public. Scotland is a democratic country that released its first form of a newspaper dating all the way back to the 1700s. The first of any significance were the Edinburgh Evening Courant and the Caledonian Mercury. These were the first national news papers, and they dabbled in local news. Since these, Scotland has proven to love its news and they have released many papers since then focusing on national news and multiple dedicated to local news for the country, However, as the times have changed, so have the newspapers. A majority of Scotland's news can now be found online. 

    The Scotsman is a paper that was established in Edinburgh, in 1817, starting as just a weekly paper. Then in 1855 it moved to become a day publication when the newspaper stamp duty was abolished. In 1987 they caught up with the times and moved online, becoming a full color press in 1990. "Founded as a politically independent newspaper, The Scotsman continues to be known for its balanced views and for its insistence on sound reporting on literature and the arts as well as on domestic and foreign news." This newspaper has proven to be a go to for much of the country as they rely on them for quick and informational updates, nationally and locally. As they are not in an area that has few restrictions on freedom of speech, they can provide a whole host of news stories, but there is still a line.

    The Scotsman covers a variety of news topics including crime, weather, UK news, World news, and even an opinion section. This can all be found on their website, an online version of their print paper. They have recently moved all online as their print sales were dwindling, a common occurrence in todays time. As they have moved online they still produce content daily, updating their cite each morning. The website is extremely accessible and easy to use with key stories covering the main page and a drop down arrow on the side to allow easy access to all other categories. As the site is updated, news stories are filtered out but they are archived and can still be found on the website. 

    All of their stories seem to be well researched and fair especially when it comes to politics. Scotland had dealt with certain strict rules when it came to publication, but times are changing. In fact, in 2020 a new bill was released that there has to be a serious harm threshold when it comes to targeting them for litigation. This allows for more wiggle room, an opportunity for them to write more freely and will save costs by ending trials at a quicker rate when problems arise. This allows journalists, like those who work for the Scotsman, to provide accurate and timely news to citizens.

    Newspapers around the world are moving online and Scotland is going with them. The Scotsman is Scotland's all star paper, the most reliable, and the paper that has been around for the longest amount of time. They have an online presence that is updated daily on a variety of topics to keep the citizens of Scotland well informed on local, national, and world-wide news. New laws are allowing journalists to work without added stress of looming lawsuits or litigations. This allows for news to keep flowing in at a timely rate along with remaining as transparent as possible. In a society hungry for information, a reliable news source, such as the Scotsman, is necessary!