The Herald (Glasgow)

History

Founding

The newspaper was founded by an Edinburgh-born printer called John Mennons in January 1783 as a weekly publication called the Glasgow Advertiser. Mennons' first edition had a global scoop: news of the treaties of Versailles reached Mennons via the Lord Provost of Glasgow just as he was putting the paper together. War had ended with the American colonies, he revealed. The Herald, therefore, is as old as the United States of America, give or take an hour or two.

The story was, however, only carried on the back page. Mennons, using the larger of two fonts available to him, put it in the space reserved for late news.

First sale and renaming

In 1802, Mennons sold the newspaper to Benjamin Mathie and James McNayr, former owner of the Glasgow Courier, which along with the Mercury, was one of two papers Mennons had come to Glasgow to challenge. Mennons' son Thomas retained an interest in the company. The new owners changed the name to The Herald and Advertiser and Commercial Chronicle in 1803. In 1805 the name changed again, this time to The Glasgow Herald when Thomas Mennons severed his ties to the paper.

George Outram

From 1836 to 1964, The Glasgow Herald was owned by George Outram & Co. becoming one of the first daily newspapers in Scotland in 1858. The company took its name from the paper's editor of 19 years, George Outram, an Edinburgh advocate best known in Glasgow for composing light verse. Outram was an early Scottish nationalist, a member of the National Association for the Vindication of Scottish Rights. The Glasgow Herald, under Outram, argued that the promised privileges of the Treaty of Union had failed to materialise and demanded that, for example, that the heir to the British throne be called "Prince Royal of Scotland". "Any man calling himself a Scotsman should enrol in the National Association," said The Herald.

Later years

In 1895, the publication moved to a building in Mitchell Street designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh, which now houses the architecture centre, The Lighthouse. In 1988, the publication moved to offices in Albion Street in Glasgow into the former Scottish Daily Express building. It is now based in a purpose-built building in Renfield Street, Glasgow.

One of the most traumatic episodes in the history of The Glasgow Herald was the battle for control and ownership of the paper in 1964. Two multi-millionaires, The 1st Baron Fraser of Allander and The 1st Baron Thomson of Fleet, whose newspaper empire included The Glasgow Heralds archrival, The Scotsman, fought for control of the title for 52 days. Lord Fraser of Allander won. The paper's then editor, James Holburn, was a "disapproving onlooker". The Labour Party condemned the battle as "big business at its worst".

The newspaper changed its name to The Herald on 3 February 1992, dropping Glasgow from its title, but not its masthead. That same year the title was bought by Caledonia Newspaper Publishing & Glasgow. In 1996, it was purchased by Scottish Television (STV; later called the Scottish Media Group). the newspaper along with its related publications, the Evening Times and Sunday Herald (now defunct), were owned by the Newsquest media group, part of Gannett.

Notable people

Editorship

Graeme Smith assumed editorship of The Herald in January 2017, replacing Magnus Llewellin, who had held the post since 2012. Notable past editors include: John Mennons, 1782; Samuel Hunter, 1803; George Outram, 1836; James Pagan, 1856; William Jack FRSE (1870–1876); James Holburn 1955–1965; George MacDonald Fraser, 1964; Alan Jenkins, 1978; Arnold Kemp 1981; Mark Douglas-Home, 2000; and Charles McGhee, 2006.

Columnists

Prominent columnists include Alison Rowat, who covers everything from television to international statecraft; former Scottish justice secretary and SNP politician Kenny MacAskill Kevin McKenna and David Pratt and business editor Ian McConnell, both multi-award-winning journalists, provide analysis of their fields every Friday.

''The Herald'' Diary

Currently edited by Lorne Jackson, the column has been spun off in to a popular series of books since the 1980s. The Herald Diary used to be edited by writer Tom Shields. Sean Connery once said: "First thing each morning I turn to The Herald on my computer – first for its witty Diary, which helps keep my Scots sense of humour in tune."

Publishing and circulation

Circulation in 1831 was 1,600, 3,200 in 1840 and risen to 5,200 by 1854.

It is currently printed at Carmyle, just south east of Glasgow. The paper is published Monday to Saturday in Glasgow and as of 2017 it had an audited circulation of 28,900. The Heralds website is protected by a paywall. It is part of the Newsquest Scotland stable of sites, which have 41m page views a month.

Political stance

The Herald declares in every edition that it does not endorse any political party. However, the newspaper backed a 'No' vote in the 2014 referendum on Scottish independence. The accompanying headline stated, "The Heralds view: we back staying within UK, but only if there's more far-reaching further devolution."

Citations

General sources

References

1. (21 February 2024). "The Herald". [[Audit Bureau of Circulations (UK)]].
2. (1946). "The newspaper in Scotland : a study of its first expansion, 1816–1860". G. Outram & Co..
3. Mayhew, Freddy. (23 August 2018). "''Sunday Herald'' to close as Newsquest launches two new Sunday newspapers for Scotland in the ''Sunday National'' and ''Herald on Sunday''". Press Gazette.
4. (2023-10-28). "How should The Herald cover a city it is indelibly linked with?".
5. Morris, Richard B.. (1965). "The Peacemakers: the Great Powers and American Independence". Harper and Row.
6. Black, Jeremy. (April 14, 1994). "British foreign policy in an age of revolutions, 1783–1793". Cambridge University Press.
7. (27 January 1783). "Glasgow". Glasgow Advertiser.
8. Maclehose, James. (1886). "Memoirs and portraits of one hundred Glasgow men who have died during the last thirty years and in their lives did much to make the city what it now is". James Maclehose & Sons.
9. Terry, Stephen. (2011). "Glasgow Almanac: An A–Z of the City and Its People". Neil Wilson Publishing.
10. Shea, Christopher D.. (11 July 2016). "Mackintosh's Classic Designs Abound in Glasgow". The New York Times.
11. (2001). "Glasgow, 159-195 Albion Street, Daily Express Building".
12. (21 November 2016). "Newsquest Scotland names editorial chief – Newsquest".
13. (27 February 2013). "From the archives". The Herald.
14. "Profile: Alison Rowat".
15. "The Winners at the 2012 Awards – Scottish Newspaper Society".
16. "Scottish Press Awards winners announded including ''Herald'' and ''Scotsman'' – Journalism News from HoldtheFrontPage".
17. Smith, Ken. (27 October 2016). "''The Herald'' Diary 2016: That's the Sealiest Thing I've Read!". Black and White Publishing.
18. Shields, Tom. (4 November 1993). "Tom Shields Too: More Tom Shields' Diary". Mainstream Publishing.
19. Smith, Ken. (7 October 2010). "''The Herald'' Diary 2010". Black and White Publishing.
20. (1978). "Victorian Periodicals: A giuide to research". The Modern Language Association of America.
21. "About HeraldScotland". Herald & Times Group.
22. Fraser, Douglas. (24 February 2017). "Decline in Scottish newspaper print sales continues". BBC.
23. Omniture August 2016; includes s1 and E&M Scottish network{{nonspecific. (August 2019)
24. (16 September 2014). "''The Herald''{{'}}s view: we back staying within UK, but only if there's more far-reaching further devolution". The Herald.