The Scottish Government is being urged to provide greater financial support for local journalism amid warnings that the loss of independent news outlets could weaken communities and local democracy.
Far North MSP and Scottish Liberal Democrat culture spokesperson David Green has written to Deputy First Minister and Finance Secretary Jenny Gilruth calling for measures including a dedicated Scottish Local News Fund.
His intervention backs a campaign by The Scottish Beacon which is seeking greater support for independent publishers at a time when many local news organisations are operating under considerable financial pressure.
The campaign is calling for a dedicated fund, greater investment of public advertising budgets in independent local news and funded journalism placements that are accessible to smaller publishers.
It follows the creation of a UK Government Local News Fund worth up to £12 million, while no equivalent scheme has yet been established specifically for Scotland.
Mr Green is also asking ministers to reconsider how the Scottish Government spends its advertising and marketing budget.
A recommendation made by the Public Interest Journalism Working Group in 2022 proposed that at least 25 per cent of central government advertising and marketing spending should go to public interest news providers.
Scottish Ministers rejected that recommendation at the time.
Mr Green argues that the changing media landscape and rapid growth of misinformation make the case for supporting trusted local journalism increasingly important.
David Green, MSP for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, said:
“Local journalism plays such an important role in our local communities.
“It keeps people informed about what is happening on their doorstep and, just as importantly, holds those in power to account.
“With misinformation increasing rapidly on social media, protecting independent local news that people know and trust is only going to become more important.
“The Scottish Government needs to step up and support local journalism.
“It simply cannot be right that we find local news outlets in England and Wales accessing financial support while Scottish outlets go wanting.
“Ministers also need to look again at how public money is spent on advertising.
“I am concerned that the most up-to-date figures show a decline in advertising expenditure going to regional and local UK news publishers. Indeed, a number of local news outlets have raised exactly this issue with me over the summer.”
Mr Green added:
“I also urge Ministers to take seriously The Scottish Beacon’s campaign for a Scottish Local News Fund.
“Local media outlets provide a public service, all too often on tight budgets.
“If we don’t do more to support them now, we will feel their loss dearly.”
The argument goes beyond preserving individual newspapers or publications, with local journalism often providing scrutiny of councils, public bodies and decisions that receive little attention from larger national organisations.
Independent publishers also face a commercial landscape transformed by social media platforms and changes in advertising, while the cost of producing original journalism remains.
The question now being put to ministers is whether Scotland considers that local reporting valuable enough to actively protect it.
For communities across the Highlands and Islands, where distance alone can make sustained local coverage difficult, the answer could have consequences far beyond the newsroom.
