Scotsman staff lament 'death of a thousand cuts': See newsroom letter to HR in full (2024)

Staff at The Scotsman have warned the newspaper is heading towards a “death of a thousand cuts”.

Five journalist jobs are being cut at The Scotsman, including the health, environment and property correspondents.

Features writers are being cut from a team of three to two, while the business desk is halving to one person, according to the National Union of Journalists.

According to the union, staff had asked for a meeting with editor-in-chief Neil McIntosh about the cuts but he said he could not as he was focusing on the redundancies and restructuring process.

A subsequent letter to National World’s head of HR Claire Jackson from the NUJ Scotsman chapel said: “These proposed job cuts – imposed from England, with no consultation with Scottish staff – threaten the future of this 207-year-old newspaper we are proud to work for… As it stands, we have no confidence in the strategy taken by National World.

“This title has so far outlived all its former owners. It cannot die a death of a thousand cuts under its current custodians.”

The letter questioned why specialist journalists are being cut when health is a devolved matter for the Scottish Parliament and consistently listed as a priority for voters, and 94% of Scots have described the natural environment in Scotland as important to its economy and national identity.

It also pointed out that Glasgow-based, Newsquest-owned rival The Herald has a business desk of four people.

The Scotsman recently launched a rebranding effort of which McIntosh said the newspaper was “aiming to offer the most authentic insight into Scottish culture, heritage, and business”.

The letter questioned the business strategy, saying the remaining newsroom will struggle to meet the target of doubling page views by the end of the year and that “readers won’t pay to read something that isn’t there anymore”.

The day after staff were told about the cuts, National World announced its latest half-year results which showed 17% year-on-year growth in revenue to £48.8m and adjusted operating profit up 62% to £4.7m.

The Scotsman, Yorkshire Post, News Letter, Express and Star and Shropshire Star brands have grown their combined subscriber base by 17% since December 2023, the results said.

Total subscribers to National World websites and apps were up by 8% since then to 20,877 – but digital subscription revenue was flat at£0.8m.

Nick McGowan-Lowe, the NUJ’s national organiser for Scotland, said: “Staff at the Scotsman have been set targets and have repeatedly been told by their editor that they have achieved them.

“Despite this, many talented, experienced and dedicated journalists are set to lose their jobs – and the real losers are the Scottish public, who look set to lose the quality, in-depth coverage and exclusives that keep readers entertained, voters informed, and holds politicians of all parties to account.”

In full: NUJ Scotsman chapel letter to National World HR

I am writing to you on behalf of the NUJ Scotsman Chapel. This follows the refusal of The Scotsman’s editor, Neil McIntosh, to agree to our request to hold a meeting with all editorial staff to explain the decision to place a quarter of the newsroom at risk of redundancy, and explain what this means for the future of the paper. If he cannot take responsibility for these cuts and look his staff in the eye, someone must. We ask that it be you.

The new advertising campaign for The Scotsman – launched a matter of weeks ago – quotes Burns in boasting that our journalists “dare to be honest”. So we will be honest with you now. These proposed job cuts – imposed from England, with no consultation with Scottish staff – threaten the future of this 207-year-old newspaper we are proud to work for.

Less than a month ago, our editor thanked us for “creating journalism that combined our traditions of quality and authority” and delivering year-on-year growth. Now we are told that isn’t enough. But we can’t do more with less, and our readers won’t pay to read something that isn’t there anymore.

These cuts would halve the number of business reporters to one. Our rival, The Herald, has four.

Health, devolved to the Scottish Parliament, is consistently listed as one of the two most important priorities for Scottish voters, with major challenges such as the ongoing impact of Covid on the NHS. These proposals would leave us without a specialist journalist, putting us, again, at a distinct disadvantage to our rivals.

At a time when 94 per cent of Scots have indicated they see Scotland’s natural environment as ‘very important’ or ‘quite important’ to both Scotland’s economy and its national identity, it makes no sense to cut that coverage either, nor our award-winning features department.

Our newspaper occupies a proud and valued role in Scotland’s social culture, and despite the challenges facing the newspaper industry, we believe there is a place for its journalism to flourish.

That takes time. We only see a short-term action that will have long-term negative implications for the business.

The day after these cuts were announced the company recorded increased profits and boasted of it being down to “expert and specialist content” and a strategy of “pivoting towards topic specialisation”. This is not the strategy we see in our newsroom. Making our colleagues redundant now and cutting our coverage surely makes it impossible for our target of doubling page views by the end of the year to remain in place.

We also have serious concerns about the redundancy process itself. Journalists were repeatedly told they did not have individual page view targets, and yet this appears to have formed part of the process. Clarity is desperately needed.

We ask that you meet with us and the union, as a matter of urgency, to explain the current business strategy, where the company sees the future of The Scotsman, and to address how these proposed cuts will affect the stress levels and mental health of the remaining staff.

As it stands, we have no confidence in the strategy taken by National World.

This title has so far outlived all its former owners. It cannot die a death of a thousand cuts under its current custodians.

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