An inquiry into the local newspaper industry and local journalism in Scotland has been established by the Scottish Parliament, with a call for evidence launched last week.

The inquiry will examine the challenges that the local and weekly newspaper industry faces. It will consider the impact of various causes of a decline in the industry, including the recession, the internet, free council newspapers, and the UK competition rules.

It will also examine the Digital Britain report by the UK government, and its proposals for an independently funded news consortia.

The implications of this decline for journalists, consumers, local communities and the quality of reporting are also up for comment. The inquiry will consider whether the situation presents any opportunities to the industry.

Ministers from the Education, Lifelong Learning and Culture Committee will take written submissions of evidence until the end of this month. They will then take oral evidence from representatives of the newspaper industry at a meeting on January 13, and from other stakeholders a week later.

Committee Convener Karen Whitefield MSP said that the committee believed that threats to the industry should be highlighted.

"That is why our evidence sessions in January will look at issues such as the consequence of the economic recession and the impact of digital media as an alternative news source and advertising medium," she said in a press release. "Equally important are the implications in reporting on local issues and for local and regional culture."

The inquiry will indeed examine an industry in decline. The Herald and Times group in Glasgow implemented voluntary redundancies earlier this year, while in Edinburgh, publisher of The Scotsman, Johnston Press, did the same.

Hyperlocal online news has had some success in Scotland, with aggregators and community websites stepping up to fill the gaps. But of course, not everyone has the internet, particularly in rural areas, and this inquiry is a welcome action to examine the health of print news in this market. Let's hope it gets results.

Source: Hold the Front Page