AS signalled in his diary two days ago, in the Sunday Herald, Alan Taylor is leaving as a writer from both the Sunday Herald and its sister title, The Herald – for which he writes a column published on a Wednesday, the last being tomorrow.
Taylor has been writing a diary for the Sunday Herald for the last 15 years and a column for The Herald for the last five. He contributes regularly elsewhere in the Sunday Herald, including large features, leader columns and obituaries.
He is taking voluntary redundancy. He is working on his latest book – about Glasgow – and will be writing regularly for the Times Literary Supplement. He is editor of the Scottish Review of Books, which he co-founded 11 years ago.
He joined the Sunday Herald from The Scotsman, where he was, among other things, deputy editor and managing editor.
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BUT he is not the only one to be moving on to pastures new – it being the end of the financial for many organisations…
AT The Scotsman, for instance, chief sports writer, Stuart Bathgate, is leaving, to go freelance.
He’s been with the paper for almost 22 years and hopes to continue writing about football, rugby, athletics and tennis, among other sports.
He joined the paper as a sports sub-editor in late 1993, became assistant sports editor the following year then moved on to be rugby correspondent in 1996. Since 2000 he’s been chief sports writer.
Highlights have included covering the London Olympics, the Glasgow Commonwealth Games and Andy Murray’s Wimbledon victory in 2013.
Bathgate joins colleague, Bill Lothian, whose departure from sister title, the Edinburgh Evening News, was noted by allmediascotland.com – here.
Bill is leaving, after 44 years with the paper’s publishers, all but two of them on the Evening News’ sports desk.
He is taking voluntary redundancy. A champion of grassroots sport, he is arguably best known as the paper’s rugby correspondent, these last 33 years.
Indeed, on a freelance basis, he is to continue his grassroots sports weekly (Tuesday) feature for the Edinburgh Evening News, and can be contacted here.
Already gone from The Scotsman’s sports desk is its editor, Colin Leslie, who has also taken voluntary redundancy. He joined the paper 16 years ago, from the Stirling Observer, initially as a sub-edtitor. He moved up the ranks – assistant sports editor, followed by deputy – before being made sports editor three years ago.
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ALSO at the Edinburgh Evening News, chief writer, Sandra Dick, has left, following a 20-year career at the paper, which was preceded by a spell at the Daily Record.
Prior to her current role, she is a former reporter, news editor and features editor at the News.
She has taken a voluntary redundancy deal to go freelance, available (via here) for news, features and subbing shifts, comment pieces, etc.
Sandra is joined, in leaving the paper after a long spell, by Gina Davidson, who was latterly associate editor.
Gina has been with the paper solidly these last 16 years, albeit she joined it in 1994, before leaving on a couple of occasions for spells at the likes of the Press Association.
She too has taken voluntary redundancy, but might return in a freelance capacity (available via here) to resurrect a weekly (Thursday) column she penned for the paper – and which is shortlisted in this year’s Scottish Press Awards (here).
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MEANWHILE, at The Herald, food writer, Cate Devine, is taking voluntary redundancy, albeit she will be continuing to write about food for the paper, in a freelance capacity (contactable via here), while being able to embark on other projects.
A former women’s editor of The Sunday Post and also a former deputy editor Scottish Field magazine, Devine joined The Herald almost 19 years ago, and was launch editor of its Saturday magazine.
She has also been features editor at the paper, plus senior features writer, specialising in food.
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AND leaving The Herald, after 34 years there, is chief sports writer, Hugh MacDonald.
He too has taken voluntary redundancy, to go freelance. Prior to his appointment as chief sports writer, eight years ago, he was deputy sports editor, and before that literary editor and before that chief sub-editor.
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FROM the Sunday Herald, sports editor, Jonathan Jobson is leaving, taking voluntary redundancy to go freelance (and can be contacted via here), albeit he is not departing immediately, in order to assist with a hand-over.
He has been sports editor at the paper since August 2008, having previously been deputy sports editor. He was part of the Sunday Herald launch team, but did also enjoy a spell in Hong Kong, as a sub-editor on the South China Morning Post newspaper.
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IF you are among departures from The Herald/Sunday Herald/Evening Times and The Scotsman/Scotland on Sunday/Edinburgh Evening News still to be mentioned in Media Movers and would like to be, in a future edition, then email here.
