Scottish Standard
Encyclopedia
The Scottish Standard was a weekly Scottish
newspaper
, supportive of Scottish independence
. It was launched on March 9, 2005; seven issues were published in all.
The intention of the paper was to provide a middle-market
tabloid for the section of the Scottish public that support independence. Alex Salmond
, leader of the Scottish National Party
, wrote a column for the paper, as did other Scottish political figures supportive of independence, including Colin Fox
of the Scottish Socialist Party
.
It was published in Paisley. It was edited by Alex MacLeod and financed by the Belfast
-based Flagship Media Group.
The paper had a modest circulation of between 6000 and 12,000 copies, which was too low to sustain the journalists, sales and administration staff who at launch totalled approximately thirty eight.
The failure of the title may have been due to its lack of any real promotion; the only notable attempt was a ten second advert on Scottish Television
and Grampian Television
the night before the paper launched. Equally, if not more so, it suffered from distribution problems, with RS McColl being one of the few larger chains to carry it.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
, supportive of Scottish independence
Scottish independence
Scottish independence is a political ambition of political parties, advocacy groups and individuals for Scotland to secede from the United Kingdom and become an independent sovereign state, separate from England, Wales and Northern Ireland....
. It was launched on March 9, 2005; seven issues were published in all.
The intention of the paper was to provide a middle-market
Middle-market newspaper
A middle-market newspaper is one that attempts to cater to readers who want some entertainment value from their newspaper as well as sufficient coverage of significant news events. Middle-market status is the halfway point of a three-level continuum of journalistic seriousness; upmarket newspapers...
tabloid for the section of the Scottish public that support independence. Alex Salmond
Alex Salmond
Alexander Elliot Anderson "Alex" Salmond MSP is a Scottish politician and current First Minister of Scotland. He became Scotland's fourth First Minister in May 2007. He is the Leader of the Scottish National Party , having served as Member of the Scottish Parliament for Gordon...
, leader of the Scottish National Party
Scottish National Party
The Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....
, wrote a column for the paper, as did other Scottish political figures supportive of independence, including Colin Fox
Colin Fox
Colin Fox is the national spokesperson of the Scottish Socialist Party, and a former member for Lothian in the Scottish Parliament...
of the Scottish Socialist Party
Scottish Socialist Party
The Scottish Socialist Party is a left-wing Scottish political party. Positioning itself significantly to the left of Scotland's centre-left parties, the SSP campaigns on a socialist economic platform and for Scottish independence....
.
It was published in Paisley. It was edited by Alex MacLeod and financed by the Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
-based Flagship Media Group.
The paper had a modest circulation of between 6000 and 12,000 copies, which was too low to sustain the journalists, sales and administration staff who at launch totalled approximately thirty eight.
The failure of the title may have been due to its lack of any real promotion; the only notable attempt was a ten second advert on Scottish Television
Scottish Television
Scottish Television is Scotland's largest ITV franchisee, and has held the ITV franchise for Central Scotland since 31 August 1957. It is the second oldest ITV franchisee still active...
and Grampian Television
Grampian Television
Grampian Television is the ITV franchisee for the North and North East of Scotland. Its coverage area includes the Scottish Highlands , Inverness, Aberdeen, Dundee and parts of north Fife...
the night before the paper launched. Equally, if not more so, it suffered from distribution problems, with RS McColl being one of the few larger chains to carry it.