A MEDIA commentator on The Guardian has resurrected a quote made at the start of the year – from a senior figure at The Scotsman’s publishers, Johnston Press – that his company had possibly not invested enough in journalism.
Writes Roy Greenslade, in his blog, Michael Johnston, Scottish divisional managing director at Johnston Press, told a Scottish Parliament investigation into local newspapers that “we possibly did not invest enough in journalism”, adding “my own group made a number of ill-advised acquisitions”.
The committee’s report, featured on allmediascotland, was published last Friday.
Said Johnston to the committee: “We possibly did not invest enough in journalism. Looking at the here and now, and moving forward, I want to ensure that the businesses that I am responsible for are sustainable and can continue to function in a viable way. Journalism is fundamental to what we do. I recognise journalism as being not only a significant cost but a significant attribute of our business.”
As reported last week on allmediascotland, Holyrood’s Education, Lifelong Learning and Culture Committee aired concerns over the disparity between the bumper pay packages of senior management and that of their employees.
