Caledonian Mercury a-go-go.

Huzzah, let celebration bells ring out throughout the land, at last a brave new dawn has arisen in the Scottish media, for today we witness the launch of a brave new hope in being able to say the words 'Scottish' and 'Journalism' without thinking of them together as an oxymoron. Ladies and Gents behold the Caledonian Mercury.

Rather fittingly they have chosen to launch  this free to read on-line newspaper on the 251st birthday of Rabbie Burns. The Burnsamentalist's among us will know that Burns, as well as being our National Bard, was a political pamphleteer in rhyme, given to venting his spleen and railing against his critics in the then dead tree press. "Thou eunuch of language....thou pimp of gender...murderous accoucheur of infant learning...thou pickle herring in the puppet show of nonsense."

After decades of a piss poor, wishy-washy, advertiser led, subservient media, content to take perfumed press releases from the establishment, than do any actual pukka reporting, is this finally a chance for that rare thing, an independent voice in Scotland  unbiased, unprejudiced, equitable and impartial?


Obviously there are as many expectations on the Mercury's founder and editor, Stewart Kirkpatrick as there are on poor Barack Obama's shoulders. No pressure there then Stewart. Thinking Scots of all flavours have been keen to see a Scottish media that doesn't treat readers as an afterthought easily swayed by insulting propaganda, as peddled by most of our main stream media.  Those of us of an Independence bent are not asking for a pro-independence media, merely a level playing field, where journalists do the work free from the pressures of owners and editors with a political agenda.


Of course, the Mercury isn't the first free on-line newspaper in the country. I don't know if it was the first, but certainly the best example, is the estimable For Argyll which as it name suggests focuses on news and events in Argyllshire. Refreshingly, it's not afraid to take a common-sense approach to both local and International news. Their campaign against the international shipping magnates using Loch Striven as a nautical free boat park is a splendid example of their proactive stance.



The For Argyll model I am convinced is the way our local news should be presented, opposed to the advertising laden blatts which constitute this nations local press. Do any of our local press contain more than the usual 'pages of shame', wherein we can find out who is in and out of court, followed by a letters page of green ink using moaning mentalists?


So in an age where our TV news looks as if it has used 'The Day Today' as a training manual, here's good luck and best wishes to Stewart Kirkpatrick and his team of 'fantasy football' journalists.