A pro-independence Scottish daily is to continue “indefinitely” after what bosses described as a “highly successful” five day trial.
The National, produced in Glasgow by the Newsquest-owned Herald & Times Group, launched on Monday – selling out its first issue, pictured below.
The 32-page tabloid is targeted at the 1.6m Scots who voted for independence in the recent referendum.
It is being edited by Richard Walker of the Sunday Herald, which is also based in Glasgow.
He said: “Now that we have passed this initial test period, we have exciting plans for developing The National into a mainstay of the Scottish media landscape.”
The new paper was formally unveiled by Richard at a rally of Scottish National Party supporters on Saturday.
The initial plan had been to print 30,000 copies of the inaugural edition, but that was swiftly doubled in response to reader demand and the paper eventually sold 60,000 copies.
More than 10,000 readers also subscribed to its digital edition.
Herald & Times Group managing director Tim Blott said: “We are delighted with its early success and will continue to produce it as long as there is a market for it.”
Reviews of the initial trial run saw The Guardian question whether the new venture would become “a McPravda for Scottish separatists” while Terry Murden, former business editor of The Scotsman and Scotland on Sunday, noted it “lacks content in many areas”.
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must say i do love that front page, politics aside.
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Glad to see the National succeeding – but still concerned that no one’s mentioned any plans to create new journalism jobs based in Glasgow. Newsquest has been outsourcing subbing work to Wales – hardly the actions of a company that believes in an independent Scotland. The National would no doubt gain even more respect if its publisher would only commit to keeping all staff positions north of the Border.
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Well done for creating a ‘permanent’ sore in Scottish/English relations, not to mention among the Scots themselves who have just voted against independence. I’m sure your American shareholders are especially pleased.
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Imagine a similar newspaper suddenly appearing in England.
Flag of St George in the masthead, English nationalist splash.
A politican pilloried as “abondoning the vow” in the blurbs.
What do you think would happen?
Special Branch would be raiding the newsroom before you could say National Front.
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FMJ has it spot-on and having seen the subbing on the early editions (or seeming lack of it!), it did look a bit thrown together.
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How ironic that a former Scotsman employee should be complaining that the new paper “lacks content in many areas.”
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Is there really going to be a sustainable audience with a paper with such a predictable news agenda? Even the most rabid Nat will surely get bored senseless of the ‘SNP good, government bad’ daily agenda.
And agree with bluestringer, there are parallels with right wing symbolism in some of that Saltire style artwork employed by the nationalists and supporters like this. The referendum was awash with the stuff.
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