I AM writing this decamped to my kitchen, working from home for the first time on the Sunday National. The First Minister was not wrong when she said that life in the shade of the coronavirus pandemic should not feel normal.
Like thousands of other Scots we are experiencing the joys and pitfalls of working from home, trying to get equipment to function, fighting the temptation to open a beer and taking a break to watch TV and finding out the best way to communicate with colleagues when you can’t just shout across the desks.
If you are reading this in print then I guess we’ve succeeded in our first attempt to produce the newspaper outside of our Glasgow offices. Right now I’m not sure about our chances of pulling that off.
To quote Nicola Sturgeon again, it’s certainly proving true that this virus is the greatest challenge any of us will face in our lifetime.
It’s scarcely believable that just two weeks ago we were still going about our business outside in an atmosphere of relative normality.
The schools were open, we could still go for a drink or a meal, we could still meet up with friends and family.
All of those joys are denied us now and we do not know when we will be able to enjoy them once more.
We are all facing problems and challenges that would not long ago have been dismissed as features of a Hollywood disaster movie.
In such a climate it seems odd to focus in this column on the future of The National and the Sunday National, but nevertheless there are some problems that need sharing. It hardly needs saying that newspapers have for years been struggling to adapt to the internet age. This is not just, as many believe, because media companies have been slow to take on board the changes they need to make to their business model.
In fact it is because there are as yet no changes which could be made to that business model which would allow our industry to sail through the stormy waters on which it has been adrift for so long.
The demand for journalism has never been higher. At no time in our history have our stories had the potential to reach so many readers.
The problem is that the internet does not generate enough money to subsidise journalism in the way that print advertising once did.
The devastation being caused by the coronavirus pandemic is making a terrible situation much, much worse.
The lockdown is already affecting newspaper sales and that effect will increase over the coming weeks. Many of the shops which sell our newspapers have been forced to close, a tragedy for those who have worked hard and long to build up their retail outlets.
I make no special pleading for newspapers but nevertheless our readers should be aware that we are facing a serious threat to our continued existence.
The National and Sunday National have proved there is a demand for a newspaper that supports the principle of Scottish independence.
Over the years I think it is fair to say that we have proved the value of our journalism and the breadth of our ambition for Scotland, its industry, its cuture and its people.
If you want to see The National survive this crisis and pick up once more the arguments for an independent future for Scotland once the current crisis has receded, there is a simple way to help.
That is to take out a regular subscription, whether in print or for our excellent digital products. That way our income is stabilised. That doesn’t mean we all get rich ... just that our newsroom has the resources to do the very best job for our readers that we can.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
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