The Sunday Herald editor, Richard Walker, is among the speakers lined up for a new club for journalists.
The Scottish Press Club is the brainchild of a reporter at the Renfrewshire Gazette, Martin Graham, and a fellow recent journalism graduate, Cristiana Theodoli, from Glasgow Caledonian University and it is meeting on Thursday at the CCA, in Glasgow.
Graham told allmediascotland the club is partly inspired by a blog by STV Local editor, the former Daily Record and Sunday Mail digital editor, Iain Hepburn, bemoaning the lack of meeting facility for journalists in Scotland, including undeveloped plans by allmediascotland.com to create a Scottish Media Club.
The event is free to attend, kicks off at 7.30pm and joining Walker among the speakers is John McManus from the Miscarriages of Justice Organisation and Paul Holleran, the NUJ's Scottish Organiser, who will be talking about 'Take One Action' documentary film festival.
Says Graham: “The idea is to provide a forum for discussion about issues affecting journalism and to give people a chance to exchange ideas. A diverse range of speakers will hopefully promote debate and increase awareness of different issues.”
There is a Facebook page and a twitter account.
Adds Graham: “The closest thing we have to a 'mission statement' is on the Facebook page, which says: 'From the newly-graduated, aspiring journo to the old, hardened hack – the Scottish Press Club's aim is to connect us all and broaden our knowledge of all aspects of our job, share our skills, and even just enjoy the company of people who look at the world with the same eyes as we do. Our industry thrives on networking. Our contact books are our most prized possession. While many of us are, in one way or another, competing, there is no reason why that should stop us from working together to strengthen the position of the media in Scotland.'”
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