Newspaper appointments tell the story of an industry
http://www.insider.co.uk March 2020 INSIDER 17INSIDER: CREATIVE
ON THE MOVE
CREATIVE FOCUS Recruitment
Willo, a Glasgow-based
start-up that provides a video
interviewing platform, said
that January was a record
month in both revenue and
growth. The business said
that candidates from more
than 13 countries, including
India, Asia and Africa, actively
interviewed for remote-job
opportunities with more than
30 participating businesses.
The talent recruitment platform
also benefited from £20,
in funding from Scottish
Enterprise, the economic
development agency.Funding helps city start-up reach talent in 13 countries
Media Matters, the Edinburgh
communications consultancy
has appointed Chris Story, a
former editor of the daily Carlisle
News & Star. The agency focuses
on media and political relations,
campaigns and branding work.Frame, the creative
communications agency, has
appointed Harry Hussain as
its new head of corporate. The
move comes as the company
expands into the corporate and
B2B PR market. Hussain was a
director at Weber Shandwick.Bauer Media Scotland, the
radio station operator, has
appointed Gary Lamont to the
new role of head of creative.
He moved from Fore Digital in
Glasgow where he led a large
multi-disciplined creative team.STV has made Laura Piper its
first climate correspondent. She
has been a weather presenter
and broadcast journalist for the
channel. It has also promoted
Linda Grimes Douglas to
deputy head of news. She was
previously an output editor.Hannah Rodger is moving from
her role as chief reporter of The
Herald newspaper to be its
Westminster correspondent.The Paisley Daily Express has
appointed Stephanie Brawn,
chief reporter of the Paisley and
Renfrewshire Gazette series, as a
local democracy reporter.Darrah Bermingham, who was
health and education reporter
of the The Echo newspaper in
Cork, has moved to Edinburgh
to freelance on those topics and
Irish trade in the wake of Brexit.Carla Jenkins has become a
style columnist at the Glasgow
Evening Times. She will
continue as a youth community
report at the paper.TWO recent appointments tell
much of the story of the modern
Scottish newspaper industry.
In the biggest move of the
industry so far in 2020, Frank
O’Donnell is swapping his role
as editorial director at JP Media’s
titles in Edinburgh for that of
editor-in-chief of DC Thomson’s
Aberdeen titles.
He will bid farewell to the The
Scotsman, Scotland on Sunday and
Edinburgh Evening News and say
hello to responsibility for The Press
and Journal and Evening Express.
There was no chance of an
early departure and apparently
no mention of the possibility of
garden leave – he is, as I write,
serving out his full six-month
notice period and will switch jobs
in May.
That someone would go from
The Scotsman to the P and J is
a stark picture of the changing
fortunes of the titles and the
companies that own them.
As one veteran Highland-based
journalist put it: “When we were
trainees on the Thomson Regional
Newspapers training scheme
working on The Press & Journal all
we wanted to do was to get onto
The Scotsman.”
O’Donnell’s move will bring to
an end 19 years since he joined
The Scotsman in 2000.
In that time he has been a
general reporter, city of Edinburghcorrespondent, consumer affairs
correspondent, forward planning
editor, deputy news editor, news
editor, assistant editor, before
swapping to the Edinburgh
Evening News as editor.
He was managing editor across
both titles, director of digital
content before becoming editor-in
chief in April 2017.
The other picture that tells
a story is that the resulting
management shuffle after
O’Donnell’s departure will see
Euan McGrory move from his
current role editing the EdinburghEvening News to see him taking
responsibility for no fewer than
six newspapers.
When the company’s digital-
driven changes take place
McGrory will oversee the print
editions of The Scotsman, Scotland
on Sunday, Falkirk Herald, Fife Free
Press and Southern Reporter, in
addition to the Evening News.
JP Media’s Digital Acceleration
programme will see journalists
focus on producing online content.
Further changes will see Fife Free
Press editor Alan Crow become
specialist editor (geographic) while
Jill Buchanan will become deputy
print and curation editor of the
titles.
Paul Wilson, the current news
editor will run The Scotsman and
Edinburgh Evening News in print
on a Sunday, while Chris Dry will
take charge of Scotland on Sunday
in print on a Saturday.
Roger Cox, The Scotsman’s
books editor becomes specialist
editor (arts) and Ian Johnston
becomes specialist editor
(content).
There was a milestone in
Highland journalism in the recent
retirement of Ian McCormack as
editor of the of the West Highland
Free Press. It was a role he had
held for a remarkable 44 years.
A replacement was still to be
announced at time of going
to press.Frank O’DonnellEuan McGroryGary LamontFrom left, Greig
Sinclair, Euan
Cameron, Claire
Partridge