Today (20/08/20) our members in Scotland have launched a three-week advertising partnership with the Scottish Government and supported by ICNN.

The campaign follows the announcement made in mid-May that the Scottish Government was increasing spending in Scottish national, regional and community news publications to £3 million.

Media buying agency Republic of Media is assisting the Scottish Government in placing the ads. 

Today, our members in Scotland have run the copy: Coming out of shielding? Follow the advice at mygov.scot/shielding. 

The Scottish Government is advising people who have been shielding that they currently no longer need to do so. This is because the rate of coronavirus (COVID-19) in Scotland is currently very low.

Managing editor of Shetland News, Hans Marter said: “The Covid-19 pandemic continues to be the biggest story we have ever covered. It stretched our very limited resources to the absolute limit. Shetland recorded a number of very early Covid cases which led the community going into a ’near-lockdown’ situation long before lockdown was ordered nationally.

“As an online organisation having always worked from a home office, we were able to respond quickly and flexibly to the crisis by providing accurate up to date news and public service information such as rapidly growing lists of shops that were closed and events that were cancelled.

“Traffic to our website more than doubled from February to March 2020, demonstrating once again the importance of reliable local news.

“While the workload increased daily we, like any other news organisation in the country, started losing advertising income. Thanks to the tremendous effort from ICNN we eventually managed to secure at least some public health advertising from the Scottish Government. 

“It is not much and certainly doesn’t compensate for the loss in advertising revenue, but it is, hopefully, the start of something new in that the Scottish Government and its advertising agencies beginning to recognise the value of the small, independent news publishers. There is no doubt that the news sector is significantly more diverse these days than the long-established newspaper industry, and a different approach from government and it agencies is needed.

“As a small business without a rateable premises Shetland News, like so many others, also lost out on Scottish Government grant funding in response to the Covid crisis. Help though came from a somewhat unexpected corner: The Google News Initiative Journalism Emergency Relief Fund.”

Editor of the Edinburgh Reporter, Phyllis Stephen said: “This Scottish Government support is absolutely crucial to us as an independent news publisher. We have watched the ‘big boys’ getting support in the form of advertising all across the UK, and thought all was lost until ICNN stepped in to lobby on our behalf. 

“While our main advertisers continue to support us, it is difficult to keep on writing the news to meet the demand for that, and chase reluctant advertisers at the same time. We are also very mindful that some businesses and organisations just do not have any spare cash, so it is essential that public bodies offer this support. 

“Our July 2020 visitor numbers on our website broke all records in the ten years we have been reporting to the Scottish capital, and it looks as though our annual traffic will be about double what we have achieved before. 

“The additional costs of moving to a new server with greater capacity was a bit unwelcome at the same time, so this money will help to pay for that and other overheads.

“It is a pity that ICNN’s exhortations to DCMS and the UK Government fell on deaf ears. Their spending of £35 million could have been spread more widely and with huge effect particularly among our ICNN colleagues.”

The support from the Scottish Government follows the early interventions by the Welsh Government. In early April, the Minister for Economy, Transport and North Wales, Ken Skates MS awarded emergency grant revenue funding of £8,500 to each Welsh member of ICNN. 

So far the UK Government has been unwilling to help support the independent press in England. 

As we reported back in May, only one title has been able to partner with the UK Government as part of its £35 million all-in, all together public health campaign. 

Ninety-five per cent of ICNN organisations have still not benefitted from any of the eleven Government measures outlined by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport.