Local papers thrive in Dundee, and there are plenty of science and arts stories – and unusual statues, says Linda Harrison,


it’s a pretty massive operation in the area. The company publishes a variety of titles from its HQ in the city, including The Evening Telegraph and The Courier, plus The Beano and The Dandy.


“While there are still debates about their policies on union membership, DC are a major employer and provide strong local coverage,” says former PR and radio broadcaster Jimmy Black, now a councillor at Dundee City Council. STV, the BBC, Radio Tay and Wave 102 also have offices in the city.


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Ian Roache, sports writer at The Courier, says: “I am a football writer and also cover the wider Perthshire, Angus and Fife areas so there is always plenty to write about. One of my fellow football hacks from another city keeps telling me that we have the best beat in the land because there is never a dull moment at the clubs – and I think that might be true. “Our sister paper The Evening Telegraph provides some fierce and friendly local rivalry, while the nice people from the BBC, STV, Radio Tay and Wave 102 also


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D 10 | theJournalist


undee is a city famous for the three Js – jam, jute and journalism’. Jute is a vegetable fibre that can be spun


into thread – giving rise to an industry that saw Dundee boom during the Industrial


Revolution. The jam refers to marmalade, purportedly invented in the city. And the journalism? This generally refers to publishing company DC Thomson, by far still the city’s biggest media employer. Freelance journalist Jamie Beatson says: “The jute mills are long since silent and any jam production you find is likely confined to the odd family kitchen. But journalism lives on in the city.”


DC Thomson has been publishing newspapers in Dundee since 1886. Still owned and managed by the Thomson family,


cover the football scene.” Beatson, who runs Kingdom News Agency, has worked in Dundee for about seven years, most recently as a freelance for Scotland’s national newspapers and broadcasters. “It’s a city of about 140,000 with a diverse population, so


there’s the usual mix of crime and court stories – the area I specialise in – and human interest tales,” he says. “The two universities are well known for their research in various areas, which is a constant stream of news, while politics is also key to the region. Dundee was the first city in Scotland to declare for Yes in the Scottish independence referendum.” Stories in recent years include the trial of serial killer Peter


Tobin, held at the city’s high court. Black adds: “Dundee has many stories to tell but has to


work harder for coverage as the Scottish media tends to focus on Glasgow and Edinburgh.” Jim Symons is NUJ branch secretary for Dundee. He says the Dundee branch, formed in 1909, is the oldest NUJ branch in Scotland.


© PATRICK GUENETTE / ALAMY STOCK VECTOR


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