View all newsletters
Sign up for our free email newsletters

Fighting for quality news media in the digital age.

  1. Archive content
March 17, 2005updated 22 Nov 2022 2:41pm

New Scottish paper hit by sackings and walk-outs

By Press Gazette

The launch of a new Scottish newspaper “The Shetland Weekly” has
been postponed amid sackings and resignations involving top management
and editorial staff.
The crisis on the paper, due to launch next
Thursday (24 March) as a full-colour 40-page tabloid, emerged on 7
March when assistant editor Jonathan Sutherland and his
reporter/sub-editor partner Julia Currie were sacked.
On 8 March, chief reporter Ryan Taylor was
promoted to assistant editor but the following day editor Richard
Whitaker walked out confirming he had quit, but refusing to
comment on his reasons.
Reporter Malachy Tallack also handed in his notice.
Meantime, the islands’ long-established weekly,
The Shetland Times, was splashing the drama of its potential rival’s
disarray across its news pages.
As the crisis developed, on Monday board chairman Malcolm Younger
resigned and managing director Mike Sage was suspended pending an
internal investigation.
On Tuesday, director John Goodlad became acting
chairman and fellow director Maurice Mullay was appointed acting
managing director.
Mullay told Press Gazette that negotiations would continue this week
with Whitaker, Sutherland and Currie in a bid to thrash out a deal to
enable them to return to their jobs.
However, he confirmed that the launch was postponed for a few weeks.
Mullay said: “We feel confident that changes to
be implemented in the very near future will result in a restoration of
confidence and we will have the full backing of our highly professional
editorial team.
He added that advance advertising for the new weekly was “extremely healthy”.
Younger, a photographer and publisher, who once
worked for The Shetland Times, denied he had been ousted.
Mullay said in a press release: “Pressure of work has risen to a level
which is unacceptable, and while I am happy to remain as a shareholder
and director, I feel I cannot continue as chairman. As the board is
aware, The Shetland Weekly was my personal brainchild, and I am sure
you will all share my confidence that it will flourish in the years to
come.”
Whitaker, who has previously worked for the Halifax Courier, was headhunted as editor from BBC Radio Shetland.
Sutherland and Currie gave up their jobs with BBC Radio Scotland’s sports department in Glasgow to move north.
This week Taylor has been made acting editor and
was working with remaining reporters Kerry Hooker, Inger Vos and
trainee Chris Silver.
Photographs are being handled by Malcolm Younger
and trainee Elaine Tait.
It is understood that a major part of the editorial staf’Ós unrest was
due to having to work across a number of titles in the company’s stable.
It already produces a monthly tabloid lifestyle
magazine The Shetland Post, a fishing and aquaculture newspaper 600
North, and a national magazine, the Pictorial Post.
And there are plans to launch a quarterly newspaper for the Scottish
crofting industry in May.
The Shetland Times, established in 1872,
underwent a redesign in February. Priced 67p, it has a circulation of
around 11,500 and is said to be very profitable

Content from our partners
MHP Group's 30 To Watch awards for young journalists open for entries
How PA Media is helping newspapers make the digital transition
Publishing on the open web is broken, how generative AI could help fix it

Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog

Select and enter your email address Weekly insight into the big strategic issues affecting the future of the news industry. Essential reading for media leaders every Thursday. Your morning brew of news about the world of news from Press Gazette and elsewhere in the media. Sent at around 10am UK time. Our weekly does of strategic insight about the future of news media aimed at US readers. A fortnightly update from the front-line of news and advertising. Aimed at marketers and those involved in the advertising industry.
  • Business owner/co-owner
  • CEO
  • COO
  • CFO
  • CTO
  • Chairperson
  • Non-Exec Director
  • Other C-Suite
  • Managing Director
  • President/Partner
  • Senior Executive/SVP or Corporate VP or equivalent
  • Director or equivalent
  • Group or Senior Manager
  • Head of Department/Function
  • Manager
  • Non-manager
  • Retired
  • Other
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
Thank you

Thanks for subscribing.

Websites in our network