It was encouraging to receive the support of our local MP and MSPs this week concerning our story over the future of the Scottish newpaper industry.
Currently the Scottish Government is trying to push through controversial legislation that would f
ree councils from their statutory duty of advertising public notices in local and national newspapers papers, allowing them to use the internet instead.
This is worrying on a number of levels. Not only does it have serious implications for the viability of our business – a business already hit by the economic downturn – but perhaps more crucially, it also has serious implications for democracy, particularly in the Borders which does not have adequate access to the internet, and has an aging population, many of whom are not comfortable using computers.
We are at the heart of the Borders community and we believe we are a trusted and respected publication.
We provide our advertisers with a widespread and cost-effective platform on which to advertise their goods and services. But importantly, we are also an invaluable source of local information, much of which you would be hard-pressed to find anywhere else.
We are also a vital tool in ensuring that government, locally and nationally, is held accountable for its decisions, through investigative journalism and analysis.
It is important you are aware of what your government is proposing and we would urge you to make your feelings known and make a stand for democracy.
