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''The National'' is a Scottish daily newspaper owned by Newsquest that began publication on 24 November 2014, and the first daily newspaper in Scotland to support Scottish independence. Launched as a response to calls from Newsquest's readership for a pro-independence paper in the wake of the 2014 Scottish independence referendum, it is a sister paper of ''The Herald'' and the ''Sunday Herald'', and is edited by Callum Baird. Initially published on weekdays, a Saturday edition was added in May 2015. ''The National'' is printed in tabloid format, and is also available via online subscription. Details of its launch were announced on 21 November, with further information given at a Scottish National Party (SNP) rally the following day. It was launched on a five-day trial basis against the backdrop of a general decline in newspaper sales, with an initial print-run of 60,000 copies for its first edition, but this was increased the following day as a result of public demand, and Newsquest decided to print it on a permanent basis after healthy sales continued throughout the first week. By January 2015, daily sales had fallen to below 20,000. The first front page carried a story about charities urging devolution of powers over welfare legislation to Scotland. Reception to the newspaper's launch was mixed in both media and political circles. Libby Brooks of ''The Guardian'' praised the depth of its news coverage, but suggested announcing its launch at an SNP event could prove "auspicious", while the Labour peer George Foulkes branded it "''McPravda''". However, the Scottish journalist and broadcaster Lesley Riddoch was more positive, feeling its launch could be a "sound business move" by its publishers. Upon its launch, ''The National'' stated that it is a separate entity from the SNP. ==Background== ''The National'' describes itself as "the newspaper that supports an independent Scotland", and has a masthead depicting a map of Scotland. Details of the newspaper were revealed on 21 November 2014 after ''The Guardian'' obtained a copy of a letter being circulated to retailers by Newsquest announcing its forthcoming publication. A sister paper of ''The Herald'' and the ''Sunday Herald'', ''The National'' would be the first daily newspaper in Scotland to support Scottish independence, and was being piloted in response to a request from ''Herald'' readers for a pro-independence newspaper.〔〔 During the 2014 independence referendum, the ''Sunday Herald'' had been the only newspaper to support the "Yes" campaign, and saw an increase in its circulation—with sales rising by 60% in the week preceding the referendum and 111% in the week afterwards. Richard Walker, editor of the ''Sunday Herald'', was announced as the new paper's editor.〔〔 On 22 November, Walker told a gathering of Scottish National Party (SNP) supporters assembled at Glasgow's SSE Hydro that ''The National''s publishers would trial the newspaper for five days, but that it would become a permanent addition to the market if there was demand for it. Copies would cost 50p, while an online version would also be available via subscription. The paper was launched with an initial print-run of 60,000, and was edited by a skeleton staff during the trial run, with plans to employ more journalists if it became a permanent publication.〔〔 Initial contributors included ''Sunday Herald'' journalists Jamie Maxwell and Peter Geoghegan, as well as freelance reporter Sarah Cooper.〔 During the initial week of publication, Walker spoke of his belief that ''The National'' would continue beyond the trial period, but said the decision was in the hands of its publishers.〔 Following healthy sales in the first few days, Newsquest executives decided on 27 November to continue printing the newspaper, and to allocate it additional resources. On the same day, Neil Mackay, ''The National''s news editor, confirmed that the paper would be published on a permanent basis.〔 Publication then continued on weekdays until the introduction of a Saturday edition in May 2015. On 27 November 2014, Alex Salmond, the former First Minister of Scotland, publicly endorsed ''The National'' when he took a copy of it on stage to accept ''The Spectator''s award for Politician of the Year.〔 On 27 January 2015, ''Newsquest'' area manager Tim Blott announced that the newspaper's website would be relaunched in February, while Callum Baird would be appointed as assistant editor. The first Saturday edition of ''The National'' was published on 9 May to provide coverage of the results of the 2015 UK general election. Walker subsequently described the response as "very strong" and said that the newspaper would continue to be printed on a Saturday for "as long as there’s a public demand for it." In September 2015 Walker announced his resignation from Newsquest, and consequently the ''Sunday Herald'' and ''The National'', but he agreed to continue with ''The National'' as a consulting editor. He was succeeded as editor by Callum Baird. As Scotland prepared to welcome its first batch of refugees from the Syrian Civil War an edition of the newspaper published on 17 November 2015 carried the headline "Welcome to Scotland". ''The Independent'' reported that an image of the front page was subsequently shared multiple times among users of social media. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「The National (Scotland)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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