Motion 13
Protecting Local Journalism
“That this Congress notes that as of January 2026, broadcasting regulator Ofcom has said that it is likely to approve changes in STV’s broadcasting licence for Scotland, which would see reduced coverage of news in the north and north-east of Scotland with the proposed closure of the STV North edition of the News at Six.
“These severe cuts include 60 proposed redundancies across the business, half of which would be in the newsroom. The cuts have been opposed by viewers, business leaders, unions, and its own staff, with journalists holding a one-day strike on January 7th which took all of STV’s news coverage off the air.
“Congress notes that whilst STV blames changing viewing habits for the cuts, the real reason is the value of the company has halved in the disastrous first year in charge of Chief Executive Rufus Radcliffe. While STV has paid millions to shareholders and executives in profitable years, it wants viewers in the north of Scotland to be the ones who pay the price in years when its commercial strategy fails.
“Congress believes that quality local journalism plays a vitally important role in an informed democracy, and that it is under threat following job cuts at STV and Reach, as well as the new ownership of The Scotsman and other titles by a new employer that refuses to engage with unions.
“Congress calls upon the General Council to lobby the Scottish Parliament to take a leading role in investigating the current state of Scottish journalism and to work with unions, employers, and the Scottish Public Interest Journalism Institute to put forward solutions to protect local journalism.”
Mover: National Union of Journalists (NUJ)
RSS