Transform Scotland - For Sustainable Transport

1 April 2009

Call for Scotsman to be scrapped

Only for use between 00:01 and 12:00 on Wednesday 1st April

Transform Scotland today (Wednesday 1st April) called for the The Scotsman newspaper to be scrapped and replaced with a better newspaper. [1]

Transform Scotland director Colin Howden said:

"Given the Scotsman's falling sales and declining standards of journalism, it would be better for Johnston Press to pull the plug on this troubled newspaper sooner rather than later. It would be foolhardy for the proprietors to continue with such an "economically shaky" title.

"Following their campaigns for a second Forth road bridge and against congestion charging, it seems that its outdated mode of journalism is now extending into opposing the reopening of railways closed by Dr. Beeching in the 1960s. [2]

"Whatever happened to the self-styled 'Green Scotsman'? [3] Despite the paper's avowed support for action on climate change, we're surprised that the paper continues to call for sustainable transport projects to be scrapped, but never a new road or an airport expansion."

Colin Howden concluded:

"It would however be a shame to lose all of The Scotsman's heritage. Perhaps Johnston Press should retain the Scotsman as a monthly motoring supplement in the Edinburgh Evening News?"

ENDS

Notes to Editors

[1] Transform Scotland is the national sustainable transport alliance, bringing together rail, bus and shipping operators, local authorities, national environment and conservation groups, businesses and local transport groups - see <http://www.transformscotland.org.uk/our-members.aspx> for details.

[2] See <http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/leaders/Signals-at-red-for-Borders.5123538.jp> for Scotsman editorial calling for the scrapping of the Waverley Route rail reopening.

[3] See the Scotsman's campaign "Let's Go Green Together" - <http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/12161/-Ten-simple-ways-we.3652322.jp>.

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