How can we revive Scotland's press?

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Pondering at Holyrood.

Scotland Tonight, STV's relatively new and popular current affairs programme, posed the following question on Twitter tonight:

From STV's Scotland Tonight Twitter timeline

It is in the country's interest to ensure that our broadcast and print media is in as healthy a condition as possible. Anything less than that is bad news for our democracy. And I'm not even necessarily talking about politics, but a strong Scottish media matters to everyone in Scotland. Scottish life is reflected in many different areas, industries and public life in general. A few people on Twitter tonight, in response to the main question featured above, have indicated that the use of the Internet has changed the way they receive their news or even has always been a major way of receiving their news.

A healthy Scottish media especially matters for next year. The nation will face it's biggest decision in it's entire history. And regardless of what stance anyone takes on the referendum, it's in everyone's interests to ensure we are all enlightened with all the facts and figures about Scottish independence and Scotland's future in the United Kingdom.

Because when a voter goes into the polling station next year to cast their vote, then they want to be certain that the decision they take will be taken whilst all the arguments and facts have been absorbed and taken into consideration.

The news this week that as many as thirty jobs could go at The Scotsman and Scotland on Sunday is very worrying. That's as many as thirty livelihoods at risk. I know that might sound very potent but any job loss is damaging, not just to the individual involved but to the economy as well and even more importantly, it is damaging to the media industry in Scotland.

There is no doubt that the Internet has revolutionised the way we receive our news. Most content from newspapers are now available for free with just a couple of clicks. Some newspapers have even installed a paywall to ensure a stream of revenue flows from the readership of their publications. But according to The Wall Blog, The Times readership has dramatically fallen since their paywall was installed, whilst The Guardian and The Telegraph have higher figures.

Some people even have come to the conclusion that the newspaper industry is beginning to decline terminally. But I think that's a little harsh. Alternative ways of running newspapers will have to be sought. For example, the London Evening Standard is now available for free with a focus that has now shifted to increasing revenue from advertising. Will Scotland's newspapers have to adopt a similar model in order to survive or even revive themselves?

Also, events at BBC Scotland are a cause for concern as well. Despite mainly focusing on the newspapers in this piece, I primarily take an interest in broadcasting as far as journalism is concerned and it would be very unfair to forget about what has been happening at Pacific Quay. They will play an equally important role in delivering essential coverage of events surrounding next year's independence referendum and any potential job cut is enough to cause concern. There is no doubt the world faces an economic crisis, but it is people who make the world turn around and bring economic success and the broadcast and print media are of huge value and importance.

And there is no one right answer to how to solve the problem of reviving readership of newspapers. This is an issue that will only get bigger and creative solutions are now becoming more essential than ever before. But having said that, everyone surely must agree that it is in a democracy's interests to ensure that a free, diverse and healthy press flourishes and that applies to both broadcast and print media.