The Press and Journal (Scotland)

The Press and Journal

Type	Daily newspaper
Format	Broadsheet
Owner	D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd
Editor	Damian Bates
Founded	1748
Headquarters	Aberdeen, Scotland
Circulation	71,044 (December 2010-June 2011)[1]
Official website	http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk

The Press and Journal, often called the P&J, is a daily regional newspaper serving the northern counties of Scotland including the cities of Aberdeen and Inverness. Established in 1747 as the Aberdeen Journal, it is Scotland's oldest daily newspaper.^[2]

The Press and Journal was first published as a weekly title on 29 December 1747 and was known as The Aberdeen's Journal.

It was published on a weekly basis for 128 years until August 1876, when it became a daily newspaper. In November 1922, the paper was renamed The Aberdeen Press & Journal when its parent firm joined forces with the Free Press. It is printed 6 days a week and there are 6 geographic editions every day (7 prior to June 2011). From Monday 25 July 2011 the Monday edition of The Press & Journal changed to compact size from broadsheet. From Tuesday to Friday the newspaper is broadsheet size and on a Saturday it is compact size. Online, The Press & Journal serves various needs beyond news and sport, with pages dedicated to: ENERGY; YourJob; YourAds; YourHome; YourCar; YourDining; YourBreaks; and Family Announcements.

The newspaper is occasionally criticised for its regional perspective on global events—an urban legend claims that the headline on 15 April 1912 about the Titanic disaster was "Aberdeenshire Man Drowned At Sea"^[3] – however the paper defends this stance, occasionally running "proud to be local" advertisements. It is sometimes nicknamed the Parochial and Journal for its local news focus. Just one week after the events of 11 September 2001 the paper's World News section totalled just a single half page.

The head office of the paper is located in Mastrick, Aberdeen, and employs almost 2,000 staff locally and at branch offices throughout the North of Scotland. The current editor of the newspaper is Damian Bates.^[4]

The paper, along with the Evening Express, Aberdeen Citizen and Scot-Ads is published by Aberdeen Journals Ltd. It has a circulation of approximately 71,000 copies, making it the most-read and best-selling broadsheet newspaper in Scotland, ahead of the Herald and the Scotsman.^[5] Aberdeen Journals Ltd is now owned by the Dundee based D. C. Thomson media group, after being sold by the Daily Mail and General Trust in 2006.

Along with The Press & Journal, the Evening Express, Aberdeen Citizen and Scot-Ads are all printed on Aberdeen Journals' own printing presses in Aberdeen. Until March 2006 the News of the World was also printed on the group's presses.^[6]

The 1989–90 Journals industrial action^[7] by employees, and the ferocity with which Aberdeen Journals reacted has been credited with the downfall of unionised workforces in Scottish journalism.

See also

• List of newspapers in Scotland

External links

• The Press & Journal Website, P&J website
• Sale of P&J – BBC

References

1. ^ "ABC figures: How the regional dailies performed". HoldTheFrontPage (UK). 31 August 2011. http://www.holdthefrontpage.co.uk/2011/news/norwich-daily-tops-regional-circulation-league. Retrieved 25 September 2011. 
2. ^ The Newspaper Society History of British Newspapers "1748 Aberdeen Journal began (Scotland's oldest newspaper – now the Press & Journal)."
3. ^ "FOAFTALE NEWS No 61". Folklore.ee. http://www.folklore.ee/FOAFtale/ftn61.htm#titanic. Retrieved 22 July 2010. 
4. ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-12205947
5. ^ Aberdeen – Press & Journal – All Editions (Mon-Sat) Standard Certificate of Circulation, 2 January 2006 to 2 July 2006 Audit Bureau of Circulations^{[dead link]}
6. ^ Aberdeen Journals Ltd 2011
7. ^ "Why I Worked While Others Were on Strike". allmediascotland.com Web.archive.org. 2 June 2005. Archived from the original on 12 February 2006. http://web.archive.org/web/20060212231202/http://www.allmediascotland.com/ams/displayCOMMENTSreply.asp?ID=33. Retrieved 22 July 2010.