Stone highlights role of local newspapers amid rates relief concern
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North politician Jamie Stone has highlighted the contribution of the local press to "our community, our culture and our democracy" amid concerns over the Scottish Government's plans to withdraw emergency business rates relief from newspapers.
Mr Stone, the MP for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, and the party's Holyrood hopeful Molly Nolan have written to Scotland's finance secretary Kate Forbes calling for a change of heart.
They state: "The Highlands has a long tradition of high-quality, local and independent journalism. These businesses have deep roots in our communities and are major employers. While the pandemic has introduced immediate challenges to their fiscal viability, we see no reason why you would seek to threaten that further by excluding them from business rates relief.
"Accurate and timely information from trusted sources has been vital during the pandemic. It is well known that the local press acts as some of the most trusted sources of information for our communities. We believe that undermining the financial health of our media outlets currently risks leaving our constituents with insufficient access to the trusted knowledge they need.
"Local media outlets have been put at risk economically by the current crisis. Many press outfits have relied on their limited financial reserves or do not meet the criteria for other forms of government support, whether due to their size, the diverse ways in which they operate, or myriad other reasons. Cutting support while the economy is still significantly weakened may risk an existential crisis for much of our independent media.
"The Scottish Government must support independent and community media at this time by pledging to retain the business rates relief for our local media outlets."
After sending the letter, Mr Stone said: “We cannot risk losing our local press’s vital contribution to our community, our culture and our democracy.
“Local media outlets are important employers here in the far north. The SNP must do better to support our local businesses, not destroy them.
“Local journalism ensures that people can hold us to account. The SNP should be supporting local independent press outlets, not just nationalist mouthpieces.”
Ms Nolan, the Liberal Democrat candidate for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross at this year's Holyrood elections, said: “Local papers play a critical role in holding our decision-makers to account. They are a fundamental cog in our democratic machinery.
“Throughout the pandemic, our local papers have kept us connected with the amazing work going on in our communities to support each other. By keeping us informed, they keep us safe.
“The SNP’s determination to remove rates relief for our local and independent press is a threat to democracy and to the strength of our communities."
The Scottish Newspaper Society, the trade organisation representing the local, regional and national press, warned that the move created "an immediate crisis for Scottish journalism".
The society's director John McLellan said: "It is very disappointing to say the least that the Scottish Government is singling out news publishing for the withdrawal of emergency business rates relief, a vital financial support agreed by the Scottish Parliament, when the pandemic is far from over. This is in sharp contrast with the Northern Ireland government which has just extended rates relief for its news publishers.
"Further, the Scottish Government has not renewed its commitment to invest in news publishing to communicate important public information about its pandemic response and its vaccine roll-out, at a time when private sector advertising in Scotland has collapsed because of lockdown.
"There is no doubt this creates an immediate crisis for Scottish journalism. If these decisions are not reconsidered, it could leave Scotland as one of the few democratic European nations, if not the only one, to effectively abandon independent news publishing."
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “The Scottish Government has invested £3 million in the Scottish newspaper industry through increased advertising over the course of the pandemic. In addition, some newspaper groups have received funding through our Pivotal Enterprises Resilience Fund, including Highland News and Media.
“We continue to value high-quality journalism and have established a short-life working group to consider how best to support public interest journalism. It is expected to make recommendations at the end of the summer.
“We do not believe that rates relief is the most efficient or cost-effective way to address the long-term problems in the newspaper industry. However, discussions with other parties to secure passage of the budget are continuing and we remain willing to consider all proposals.”
