Head of Comment, Alex Watson, looks back at some of the most memorable moments, columns and opinion pieces of 2021.
As you may know, The Press & Journal and Evening Express have embarked on a significant digital transformation this year, and our opinion section is no exception to that evolution.
I joined the newsroom in April at an exciting time, just as a new era was dawning. I’ve enjoyed being able to experiment with the way we present comment pieces online, and seeing our traditional print columnists reach a bigger audience in a digital environment.
We pride ourselves on being experts in the realm of local news, but there are national and global issues which are of local interest, and the opinion section is often where these topics are discussed, considered and learned from.
Climate was the hot topic of 2021
It likely comes as no surprise that the great outdoors and climate change featured heavily in the opinion section during 2021, particularly as Glasgow played host to the COP26 climate summit in November and the future of the oil and gas industry was held under the spotlight.
Local spins that proved popular with our readers included concerns about so-called “green lairds” dominating in the Highlands and takes from either side on the pros and cons of the rewilding movement.
Regular columnist Ben Dolphin’s poetic ode to Glen Feshie, where one of the largest ecosystem restoration projects in the UK is taking place, struck a chord with many readers. So, too, did veteran columnist Scott Begbie’s lament over the north-east’s infamous gulls.
Experimenting with new formats
We have begun to give our readers quick but insightful comment pieces on topical news stories, such as Euan McColm’s recent take on New Zealand’s cigarette ban for younger generations – a move some are calling for to be mirrored in Scotland.
In late October, a social media post from the US giving advice to hikers went viral. Experts deemed the information irresponsible, and this was echoed in the comment piece Mountaineering Scotland safety adviser Heather Morning wrote for us on the subject.
Collaborating with my colleague Morag Lindsay (Head of Comment for The Courier) has allowed us to test out a “for and against” format for opinion pieces on topics ranging from trigger warnings in university teaching to assisted dying.
As much as possible, I have sought to find the right person to write on sensitive subjects, while still amplifying real voices and experiences in the north and north-east of Scotland.
This is why, for World AIDS Day, we published powerful and moving pieces written by Paul Robertson and Colin Stewart, both from the north-east. Paul was only recently diagnosed with HIV, while Colin received his diagnosis in 1996.
Old hands and new voices
I was lucky to come into this role to find a stellar cast of regular columnists already waiting for me – too many to name here but, as they say in Oscar acceptance speeches, you know who you are.
As if to prove their skill, longtime weekly contributors Alex Bell and Chris Deerin took home winner and runner-up Columnist of the Year trophies at the 42nd Scottish Press Awards earlier this year for their work in 2020, published before I’d even arrived.
Our next award goes to Columnist of the Year and is sponsored by @DTGlasgowCtrl. Congratulations to winner Alex Bell of @thecourieruk, and to runner up Chris Deerin from @pressjournal.
— ScotPressAwards (@ScotPressAwards) September 29, 2021
Chris’s June column on the current possibility of Scottish independence becoming a reality struck a chord with many readers. So, too, did longtime columnist Catherine Deveney’s piece reflecting on the life of Bay City Roller, Les McKeown, who sadly died in April.
We have been thrilled to welcome several new regular columnists to the fold over the last 12 months, including award-winning Scottish authors Kirstin Innes and Kerry Hudson.
It has also been refreshing to hear from up-and-coming writers from our patch, such as Aberdeenshire-bred Darryl Peers and journalism student Anttoni James Numminen, not to mention Belmont Filmhouse’s Colin Farquhar.
Sharing professional and personal experience
I was pleased to see several of my colleagues try their hand at writing opinion pieces in 2021, some for the first time.
City and Shire Team Leader Rebecca Buchan and Farming Editor Gemma Mackie are among the talented journalists in our team able to give expert insight into current stories in their respective fields, whether that’s redevelopment in Aberdeen city centre, or the controversial case of Geronimo the alpaca.
It’s not just professional experience that makes for a profound comment piece, though. Other colleagues wrote about personal events and aspects of their lives in order to share deeply compelling lessons and messages.
For Autistic Pride Day, social media team member Katie Forbes opened up about being bullied and struggling prior to receiving an autism diagnosis. Obituaries writer Lindsay Bruce shared the devastating story of losing her young neice, Darcy, in reaction to reading many recent news stories about drunk drivers.
Personal writing that feels self-involved in some way for the writer often offers the reader a chance to understand and relate on a very human level
Most recently, joint Head of Sport Ryan Cryle wrote about his experiences as an aggressive teenager, calling for more to be done to help violent young people understand themselves before things reach breaking point.
Particularly when reflecting on personal situations like these, writers will come to me with concerns about whether what they have to say is important or merely self-pitying. I felt the same way when writing about being sexually assaulted earlier this year, then later won a 2021 Write To End Violence Against Women Public Recognition Award for the column.
Not only was this a proud and humbling moment for me personally and professionally, it has given me a great example of how personal writing that feels self-involved in some way for the writer often offers the reader a chance to understand and relate on a very human level.
Looking forward to 2022
I’m already looking forward to building on our current success and momentum in 2022, and continuing to experiment and boost some of the finest writing talent the north and north-east of Scotland has to offer.
I hope you have read, enjoyed and been challenged by some of our opinion offering this year. If so, please consider taking out a Press & Journal subscription to help local and high quality journalism to continue and flourish. We really appreciate your support.
And, if you’re on Twitter, give our @PJOpinion account a follow to see all of our latest columns and comment pieces as they are published.
