The Press and Journal is a daily regional newspaper serving northern and Highland Scotland including the cities of Aberdeen and Inverness. Established in 1747, it is Scotland's oldest daily newspaper,[2] and one of the longest-running newspapers in the world.[3]
 Front page from 19 January 2012 | |
| Type | Daily newspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | Compact |
| Owner(s) | D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd |
| Publisher | Aberdeen Journals |
| Editor | Richard Neville |
| Founded | 1748 |
| Headquarters | Aberdeen, Scotland, UK |
| Circulation | 22,927 (as of 2023)[1] |
| Sister newspapers | Aberdeen Citizen Evening Express (Scotland) Scot-Ads |
| ISSN | 2632-1165 |
| Website | pressandjournal |
History
editThe newspaper was first published as a weekly title, Aberdeen's Journal, on 29 December 1747. In 1748 it changed its name to the Aberdeen Journal. It was published on a weekly basis for 128 years until August 1876, when it became a daily newspaper.
The newspaper was owned by the Chalmers family throughout the nineteenth century, and edited by members of the family until 1849, when William Forsyth became editor. Its political position was Conservative.[4]
In November 1922, the paper was renamed The Aberdeen Press and Journal when its parent firm joined forces with the Free Press.
Historical copies of the Aberdeen Journal, dating back to 1798, are available to search and view in digitised form at The British Newspaper Archive.[4]
Ethel Simpson, pioneering female journalist, was the first women junior reporter at The Press and Journal, and was also one of the first female chief reporters.[5]
Editors
edit- 1788–1810: James Chalmers
- 1810–1849: David Chalmers
- 1849–1878: William Forsyth
- 1879–1884: Archibald Gillies
- 1887–1889: Charles MacCaskie
- 1890–1894: Archibald Gillies
- 1894–1897: David Pressley
- 1897–1903: David Gillespie
Present-day situation
editThe newspaper is printed six days a week and there are six geographic editions every day (seven prior to June 2011). Although for many years a broadsheet, since 2012, The Press and Journal has been in compact size.[6]
The newspaper is occasionally criticised for its regional perspective on global events, but the paper defends this stance, occasionally running "proud to be local" advertisements. Just one week after the September 11 attacks in 2001 the paper's World news section totalled just a single half-page.[citation needed]
The head office of the paper was located in Mastrick, Aberdeen, and is now in the city centre. As of March 2012 employed 470 staff locally and at branch offices throughout the North of Scotland.[7] The current editor of the newspaper is Richard Neville, who replaced former editor Damian Bates in 2017.[8]
The paper, along with the Evening Express and Scot-Ads, is published by Aberdeen Journals, who also published the Aberdeen Citizen.[citation needed] It has a circulation of 22,927 copies,[9] making it the most-read and best-selling former broadsheet newspaper in Scotland. Its circulation is greater than that of The Herald and The Scotsman combined.[10] Aberdeen Journals is now owned by the Dundee-based D. C. Thomson media group, after being sold by the Daily Mail and General Trust in 2006.[11]
The Press and Journal, the Evening Express, Aberdeen Citizen and Scot-Ads were all printed on Aberdeen Journals' own printing presses in Aberdeen until May 2013. Since then, all titles are printed in Dundee. Until March 2006 the News of the World was also printed on the Aberdeen press.[12]
Coverage of Trump International Golf Links Development
editThe Press and Journal was a staunch supporter of the building of a highly controversial golf resort by Donald Trump at the Menie Estate in Balmedie, Aberdeenshire.[citation needed] The development was against the wishes of many local residents, and on an area designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
In 2007, the Aberdeen Evening Express ran pictures of seven councillors who voted against the application under the headline "You Traitors".[13] In 2009, the newspaper announced it would not report anything said by the protest group "Tripping Up Trump", saying it was not "bona fide".[14] In contrast, opponents complained, the DC Thomson papers in Aberdeen, the Evening Express and the Press and Journal gave a large amount of positive press to Donald Trump and the real estate development.[15]
In 2013, Press and Journal editor Damian Bates married Sarah Malone, then executive vice president and press spokeswoman for the Trump International project.[15][16]
Former journalists
edit- Bruce Taylor (1948–2024), the first reporter to reach the 1988 Piper Alpha disaster[17]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Aberdeen – Press & Journal". Audit Bureau of Circulations (UK). 5 February 2024. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
- ^ The Newspaper Society History of British Newspapers "1748 Aberdeen Journal began (Scotland's oldest newspaper – now the Press and Journal)."
- ^ Reid 2006, p. xiii.
- ^ a b "Results | Aberdeen Journal | Publication | British Newspaper Archive" – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ MacDougall, Ian (7 November 2013). Voices of Scottish Journalists: Recollections of 22 Scottish Journalists of Their Life and Work. Birlinn. ISBN 978-0-85790-613-7.
- ^ "Press and Journal publishes final broadsheet edition". 13 January 2012. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
- ^ "Contact us". UK: Aberdeen Journals Ltd. 26 August 2015. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
- ^ "Aberdeen Press and Journal editor Damian Bates steps down after 15 years with Scottish publisher". Press Gazette. 30 August 2017.
- ^ "Aberdeen – Press & Journal" (PDF). (Source: ABC). UK. 5 February 2024. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
- ^ Aberdeen – Press & Journal – All Editions (Mon-Sat) Standard Certificate of Circulation, 2 January 2006 to 2 July 2006 Audit Bureau of Circulations Archived 3 October 2006 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Meeting over Aberdeen Journal's printing jobs threat". BBC News. 25 January 2013.
- ^ Aberdeen Journals Ltd 2011
- ^ "The Scottish Region Website Archives – Archives 2013". ciltscotland.com.
- ^ "Tripping up Trump trip up : December 2009 : News : Architecture in profile the building environment in Scotland". Urban Realm.
- ^ a b "Trump Vice President Weds Journals Ed – Joining The Dots". Aberdeen Voice. 5 February 2013.
- ^ Sharman, David. "IPSO rejects ex-editor's complaint over Scotsman coverage of speech – Journalism News from HoldtheFrontPage". HoldtheFrontPage. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
- ^ Linford, Paul. "P&J reporter who was first to reach Piper Alpha disaster dies aged 76 – Journalism News from HoldtheFrontPage". HoldtheFrontPage. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
Bibliography
edit- Reid, Harry (2006). Deadline: The Story of the Scottish Press. Edinburgh: Saint Andrew Press. ISBN 978-0-7152-0836-6.