Edinburgh Evening News

[Peevemor]

I see they've put up a paywall.

That'll be that then!

[Scouse Hibee]

I see they've put up a paywall.

That'll be that then!

You can view five articles a week free, that’s what I will be doing.

[Dan Sarf]

I see they've put up a paywall.

That'll be that then!



Depends. How much are they offering to get you to read it?

[Peevemor]

You can view five articles a week free, that’s what I will be doing.

Given that they get 3 articles from an average Hibs TV interview ...

[G B Young]

TBH, unless a newspaper can generate enough through advertising to make their content free to view I don't really see why it's unreasonable to charge a fee for online readers. In the days when folk actually bought the paper they didn't expect to pick up a copy for free.

The problem was that in the early online days most papers were too shortsighted to realise how rapidly online readership would outstrip readers who still bought the paper and by the time they started introducing paywalls many online readers just thought sod that, I'll get my info elsewhere.

The problem with the Scotsman/Evening News website, however, is that it is notoriously rubbish to navigate and when you couple that with the fact the quality of the overall product is way short of what it once was I can't see many readers regarding it as worth paying for. The Evening News used to be a good, solid local paper but I haven't bought a copy in years and rarely look at the online version.

[Mon Dieu4]

Not that I like the EEN these days as it's clickbait central, as are most papers these days, but if you do pay for an online paper service do you still have to wait 3 years for the article to load or does the fact you are paying do away with all the advertising nonsense?

Seriously hate clicking on any newspaper site these days as even with up to date technology and very fast internet speed they still take an age, puts me off even attempting to read any stories

[Bostonhibby]

An excellent opportunity to ignore their online offering as well as the hard copy.



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[Peevemor]

TBH, unless a newspaper can generate enough through advertising to make their content free to view I don't really see why it's unreasonable to charge a fee for online readers. In the days when folk actually bought the paper they didn't expect to pick up a copy for free.

The problem was that in the early online days most papers were too shortsighted to realise how rapidly online readership would outstrip readers who still bought the paper and by the time they started introducing paywalls many online readers just thought sod that, I'll get my info elsewhere.

The problem with the Scotsman/Evening News website, however, is that it is notoriously rubbish to navigate and when you couple that with the fact the quality of the overall product is way short of what it once was I can't see many readers regarding it as worth paying for. The Evening News used to be a good, solid local paper but I haven't bought a copy in years and rarely look at the online version.

That's the point - even free the EEN online is hardly worth visiting. The only decent Hibs content is lifted straight from Hibs official site or Hibs TV and the speculative pieces come from here.

The local reporting is pitiful and is often illustrated by google streetview images.

I haven't even looked at how much they charge to subscribe - anything's too much.

[Mibbes Aye]

That's the point - even free the EEN online is hardly worth visiting. The only decent Hibs content is lifted straight from Hibs official site or Hibs TV and the speculative pieces come from here.

The local reporting is pitiful and is often illustrated by google streetview images.

I haven't even looked at how much they charge to subscribe - anything's too much.

Yes.

I think they actually got better over the last few months in terms of how pages loaded, for a long time it was a nightmare.

But the improvement in loading seemed to accompany a massive decline in quality. As you say, articles basically lifted from the football club sites or Police Scotland or whatever. And a big rise in magazine-style articles - “Ten best parks in Edinburgh”, “Ten best players to play for Hearts whose surname started with T”, that sort of thing. That’s not news or reporting.

[Just Alf]

You can still get it free if you really need to see stuff there... If you have an Edinburgh postcode you can register for the library and the give you free access via press reader.. Along with loads of other papers and magazine.. No ads either!

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[Kato]

You can still get it free if you really need to see stuff there... If you have an Edinburgh postcode you can register for the library and the give you free access via press reader.. Along with loads of other papers and magazine.. No ads either!

Sent from my SM-G935F using TapatalkWouldn't wipe my **** with it. Especially the online version.

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[Just Alf]

Wouldn't wipe my **** with it. Especially the online version.

Sent from my SM-A405FN using TapatalkAye, don't get me wrong neither would I, even with the ad free version on press reader, but it also has the Herald etc.

Oh... And the Scotsman :greengrin



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[Scouse Hibee]

Wouldn't wipe my **** with it. Especially the online version.

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A wise decision, would make a hell of a mess of your screen.

[Tomsk]

It is utterly depressing to see how far The Scotsman has fallen. From being the paper of record in Scotland no more than 15 years ago it has deteriorated now to no more than an irrelevance desperately touting for any business it can stoke up with clickbait, advertorials, press release churnalism and some of the most vomit-inducing Old Firm brown-nosing you will find anywhere on earth.

I can't see any way back for it.

And it matters. Because with its demise there is now no major source of national media in Scotland that doesn't emanate from Glasgow. And that's just not healthy.

[Sylar]

Not necessarily for this particular rag, but for other papers you might be interested in that operate paywalls, there's a nice little browser extension you can add into Chrome and Firefox that bypasses them.

[SuperAllyMcleod]

Not necessarily for this particular rag, but for other papers you might be interested in that operate paywalls, there's a nice little browser extension you can add into Chrome and Firefox that bypasses them.

And this extension is called.....? [emoji16]

[Sylar]

And this extension is called.....? [emoji16]

I can't remember off the top of my head and I'm replying from my phone, but a quick Google search for 'extension bypass paywall' should find it for you.

[Keith_M]

I you use Firefox, just open the link in a Private Window (no extensions required).


From the Menu: 'File' - 'New Private Window'
From Keyboard: Ctrl+Shift+p


You'll be able to read three articles, then they'll ask you to register an E-Mail address before you get to view a fourth.

Just close the Private Window at that point and open another one.

Repeat Ad-Infinitum.

[Hibee87]

Duck Duck Go browser seems to be allowing me to view it fine, although echoing what everyone else says, I glance at it now and again but never really find anything new. Twitter has usually already told me about that news anyhow.

[lord bunberry]

They should make the evening news a free paper and have it on the buses replacing the metro. It’s had it’s time as a local evening paper, it’s not printed in Edinburgh and it comes out in the morning. I think the evening standard in London works this way.

[speedy_gonzales]

They should make the evening news a free paper and have it on the buses replacing the metro. It’s had it’s time as a local evening paper, it’s not printed in Edinburgh and it comes out in the morning. I think the evening standard in London works this way.

I was actually going to mention the Evening Standard, it has been free for a very long time, obviously there is a much larger readership down there, by a serious magnitude, and the advertising revenue is considerable.
The Standard has very good local content and input, unlike the Metro, it doesn't "scrape" as many stories from other outlets.
A free EEN, made available on our extensive public transport network and made available on the busier footfall areas/business parks would surely be worth a go.

[lord bunberry]

I was actually going to mention the Evening Standard, it has been free for a very long time, obviously there is a much larger readership down there, by a serious magnitude, and the advertising revenue is considerable.
The Standard has very good local content and input, unlike the Metro, it doesn't "scrape" as many stories from other outlets.
A free EEN, made available on our extensive public transport network and made available on the busier footfall areas/business parks would surely be worth a go.
I would’ve thought so. If it was thriving in its current form it would be a difficult decision, but the print edition is on its arse and it’s no longer an evening paper, which was its main attraction when I used to buy it. I can guarantee that more people in Edinburgh read the metro than the evening news, so that must be a bonus in terms of advertising.

[Saturday Boy]

I was having a text conversation the other day with an old friend who was brought up in Aberdeen. Admittedly he is younger than me, but he wouldn’t believe that the Evening News was a broadsheet format and at the foot of the front page we had tv listings. All three channels. And not only that, either side were lists of ships arriving and leaving Leith. RMS Skylark arriving from Barbados with bananas on one side and MV Romanov leaving for Lithuania with suitcases full of bank notes on the other.

The olden days were definitely better 👍

[Beefster]

I was actually going to mention the Evening Standard, it has been free for a very long time, obviously there is a much larger readership down there, by a serious magnitude, and the advertising revenue is considerable.
The Standard has very good local content and input, unlike the Metro, it doesn't "scrape" as many stories from other outlets.
A free EEN, made available on our extensive public transport network and made available on the busier footfall areas/business parks would surely be worth a go.

Even the Standard is struggling badly.

The Evening News will be dead within a decade or so imho. Not enough advertising to go free as a print title. A combination of not enough, if any, journalism worth paying for and a small readership mean any online paywall is doomed to fail too.

[Glory Lurker]

I was having a text conversation the other day with an old friend who was brought up in Aberdeen. Admittedly he is younger than me, but he wouldn’t believe that the Evening News was a broadsheet format and at the foot of the front page we had tv listings. All three channels. And not only that, either side were lists of ships arriving and leaving Leith. RMS Skylark arriving from Barbados with bananas on one side and MV Romanov leaving for Lithuania with suitcases full of bank notes on the other.

The olden days were definitely better 👍

Why did they ever do away with the requirement that approaching ships declare their cargoes to the local paper? It must have made life so much easier for the Customs. Unless a boat had advised it was carrying diamonds, drugs or rabid dugs, there was no need for them to even get out of bed.

[marinello59]

Another newspaper jumps the shark in spectacular style. I thought this was a wind up when I saw it last night. Eight pages? Please tell me it is.

23760

[Hiber-nation]

Another newspaper jumps the shark in spectacular style. I thought this was a wind up when I saw it last night. Eight pages? Please tell me it is.

23760

But it's The National, what do you expect? I'm an SNP voter and love Nicola to bits but I wouldn't wipe my arse with it.

[Santa Cruz]

Another newspaper jumps the shark in spectacular style. I thought this was a wind up when I saw it last night. Eight pages? Please tell me it is.

23760
I've never bought a newspaper for years, and I've never heard of this one. How long has it been going?

[bigwheel]

I've never bought a newspaper for years, and I've never heard of this one. How long has it been going?


its a committed pro indy paper - think it's part of the same stable at The Herald. Started post the 2014 independence referendum.

[bigwheel]

But it's The National, what do you expect? I'm an SNP voter and love Nicola to bits but I wouldn't wipe my arse with it.


thats a strong view... I'd say its arts/film, culture and world news are well written with decent contributors

[Bostonhibby]

thats a strong view... I'd say its arts/film, culture and world news are well written with decent contributorsI've no "skin in the game" as far as independence goes but from what I've seen of the national its coverage of everything else is good. Prefer it to the scotsman.

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[Santa Cruz]

I've no "skin in the game" as far as independence goes but from what I've seen of the national its coverage of everything else is good. Prefer it to the scotsman.

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Are there any papers that are viewed as politically impartial?

I'm genuinely not clued up on this. I'm aware of Tory leaning papers like the Mail and Telegraph, would I be correct in saying the Guardian is Labour and Scotsman and Record SNP?

[Bostonhibby]

Are there any papers that are viewed as politically impartial?

I'm genuinely not clued up on this. I'm aware of Tory leaning papers like the Mail and Telegraph, would I be correct in saying the Guardian is Labour and Scotsman and Record SNP?Been that long since I actually bought one I couldn't say first hand. I'm a Private Eye reader and see the press bias as about 90 % Tory but suspect if you've got enough cash you can influence or own most of the UK media.

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[Peevemor]

Are there any papers that are viewed as politically impartial?

I'm genuinely not clued up on this. I'm aware of Tory leaning papers like the Mail and Telegraph, would I be correct in saying the Guardian is Labour and Scotsman and Record SNP?The Scotsman and Record are anything but SNP.

[Santa Cruz]

Been that long since I actually bought one I couldn't say first hand. I'm a Private Eye reader and see the press bias as about 90 % Tory but suspect if you've got enough cash you can influence or own most of the UK media.

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I'd maybe be more inclined to subscribe to a paper if it was impartial and gave a balanced view on issues.

Re: the Evening News I haven't read that for years, the reporting was shocking.

I remember as a kid delivering it and as the week progressed the paper got bulkier and bulkier, it was a broadsheet then. By the time Friday's came, I could hardly carry the bag. I also remember later working in shops and having to deal with 3 editions of it a day, everyone wanting the City Final. How times have changed!

[marinello59]

Are there any papers that are viewed as politically impartial?

I'm genuinely not clued up on this. I'm aware of Tory leaning papers like the Mail and Telegraph, would I be correct in saying the Guardian is Labour and Scotsman and Record SNP?

The Independent claims to be impartial. The tabloids, with the obvious exception of the Daily Mail, tend to go with the prevailing wind. The Telegraph is as rabidly Tory as the National is SNP though I doubt that even the Telegraph would run with the level of sycophancy towards a serving politician that the National has decided to go with today.

[Santa Cruz]

The Independent claims to be impartial. The tabloids, with the obvious exception of the Daily Mail, tend to go with the prevailing wind. The Telegraph is as rabidly Tory as the National is SNP though I doubt that even the Telegraph would run with the level of sycophancy towards a serving politician that the National has decided to go with today.

What about the Times? I bought it once for a freebie and remember thinking what good value it was as it literally took me days to read all the Sunday supplements that came with it?

[Peevemor]

The Independent claims to be impartial. The tabloids, with the obvious exception of the Daily Mail, tend to go with the prevailing wind. The Telegraph is as rabidly Tory as the National is SNP though I doubt that even the Telegraph would run with the level of sycophancy towards a serving politician that the National has decided to go with today.I like Sturgeon but the 8 page thing is ridiculous. I wonder if they're doing it deliberately to make people sick of her given that, IMO, they're pro Cherry/Salmond.

[Peevemor]

What about the Times? I bought it once for a freebie and remember thinking what good value it was as it literally took me days to read all the Sunday supplements that came with it?The Times is a News Corp (News International), ie. Murdoch, title and like the majority of his titles will back whoever suits him most but will generally lean to the right.

[Ozyhibby]

The Times is a News Corp (News International), ie. Murdoch, title and like the majority of his titles will back whoever suits him most but will generally lean to the right.

People mocked the Times when it went behind a paywall about 10 years ago now but it is probably one of the only papers which is thriving just now. You can’t expect good journalism without paying for it and the best way to get independent journalism is to pay for it directly. If not then the paper will always be afraid of it advertisers.
Same goes for the spectator magazine. They have good writers but they expect you to pay to read it.
If the Evening news can improve the quality of their writing and start doing some proper journalism again on local issues then it has a small chance to revive its business. If it doesn’t it will die. It’s on life support just now.


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[Santa Cruz]

The Scotsman and Record are anything but SNP.

Never knew that, so do they have any sort of leaning?

[Hiber-nation]

thats a strong view... I'd say its arts/film, culture and world news are well written with decent contributors

I never read about arts, film or culture though!

[Ozyhibby]

Never knew that, so do they have any sort of leaning?

Scotsman leans pro union but neither left or right I would say. Record pro Labour, pro union. Both on life support and I doubt either will survive unless they start selling their content online and improve their journalism.


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[Hiber-nation]

Never knew that, so do they have any sort of leaning?

From what I can gather (haven't bought it for a long long time) the Record used to be very pro-Labour and anti-SNP but they know they're sailing against the wind these days so they grudgingly accept the SNP Government but they're definitely not for Independence.

[Santa Cruz]

From what I can gather (haven't bought it for a long long time) the Record used to be very pro-Labour and anti-SNP but they know they're sailing against the wind these days so they grudgingly accept the SNP Government but they're definitely not for Independence.

Thanks for all the views and apologies for hijacking the EEN thread

[Tomsk]

Some countries provide support in the form of tax relief for journalism in recognition of the importance of the fourth estate in modern democracies. Would this feasible here? Desirable? Practical?

What are people's thoughts?

[Bostonhibby]

I'd maybe be more inclined to subscribe to a paper if it was impartial and gave a balanced view on issues.

Re: the Evening News I haven't read that for years, the reporting was shocking.

I remember as a kid delivering it and as the week progressed the paper got bulkier and bulkier, it was a broadsheet then. By the time Friday's came, I could hardly carry the bag. I also remember later working in shops and having to deal with 3 editions of it a day, everyone wanting the City Final. How times have changed!Used to deliver it as well!

Also remember queueing to buy the Pink news for all the football scores.

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[Santa Cruz]

Used to deliver it as well!

Also remember queueing to buy the Pink news for all the football scores.

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yip, my Dad used to send me for the Pink so he could check his Pools coupon. He won it too, would be equivalent to over £100k in today's money.

[Bostonhibby]

yip, my Dad used to send me for the Pink so he could check his Pools coupon. He won it too, would be equivalent to over £100k in today's money.Different times, that's for sure. My old man was a Spot the Ball player. Every week he swore he'd picked it right.

Now we know it was a Jambo conspiracy all along[emoji6]

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[G B Young]

Another newspaper jumps the shark in spectacular style. I thought this was a wind up when I saw it last night. Eight pages? Please tell me it is.

23760

I'm guessing it's a deflection from the fact a lot of other papers are focusing on her comments about the breakdown of her relationship with Salmond which could be seen as a negative for the nationalist movement.

[G B Young]

Used to deliver it as well!

Also remember queueing to buy the Pink news for all the football scores5.

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The Pink used to be a must have on a Saturday night. Like you I used to queue for it and snatch a quick read of the Hibs report on the way home before my dad nabbed it. In later years somebody would always get hold of a copy for our post-match pub table.

[EAZY-ME]

The last time i bought the een it was 20p.....besides hibs stories i never found it a very good read. However if u go incognito you can bypass the article cap

[Pretty Boy]

The rise of social media probably dealt the final blow to the EEN as a go to paper for sports news. In days gone by they often had the inside scoop on what was going on inside Easter Road and Tynecastle; it was probably even used to leak a story or 5 over the years. Nowadays you can read about a signing or a sacking on a site like this, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram weeks before they happen. The EEN hasn't had a Hibs 'exclusive' in years.

As a newspaper I think the trams story sums up where they go wrong. The handling of the project, the awarding of the contracts, the mismanagement by successive Council administrations was an investigative piece wrapped up with a bow. Instead the EEN chose to focus on torn faced folk moaning about how 'they would never use them'. The real story was lost to appease a shrinking readership.

I used to quite like the section they did revisiting stories from the past and showing the changing face of Edinburgh. That's just descended into a 'young people are terrible, things were better in our day' circle jerk as well though. Throw in the paid for content of '10 best Edinburgh....' or Hibs and Hearts lists we have all see 100 times before and you start to see the problem.

[Mibbes Aye]

Are there any papers that are viewed as politically impartial?

I'm genuinely not clued up on this. I'm aware of Tory leaning papers like the Mail and Telegraph, would I be correct in saying the Guardian is Labour and Scotsman and Record SNP?

The Guardian has a history of being left of centre but it endorsed the Lib Dems in its final editorial before the election IIRC. While the Telegraph is undoubtedly of the right, it reflects that on many levels the Tories are as factional and schismatic as Labour and it clearly favours some Tory politicians and narrates against others.

[Mibbes Aye]

I've no "skin in the game" as far as independence goes but from what I've seen of the national its coverage of everything else is good. Prefer it to the scotsman.

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Any of my children, using crayons on kitchen roll and writing with their ‘wrong’ hand would create an infinitely better product than the Scotsman.

[RyeSloan]

Different times, that's for sure. My old man was a Spot the Ball player. Every week he swore he'd picked it right.

Now we know it was a Jambo conspiracy all along[emoji6]

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I vaguely remember having a spot the ball syndicate in the work. Pretty sure we had a wee stamp thing that put on miniature crosses on the picture...was whatever pence per cross I think.

You then posted in the entry!

Only years later did I find out that the ball wasn’t even a ball and the position was ‘guessed’ by some sort of panel and that then became the ball against what entries were measured against...or something like that. Put it this way we never won anything [emoji23]

[Mibbes Aye]

Different times, that's for sure. My old man was a Spot the Ball player. Every week he swore he'd picked it right.

Now we know it was a Jambo conspiracy all along[emoji6]

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My gran used to faithfully do Spot the Ball but insisted on delivering her entry direct to the office on North Bridge. She was very much a strong Irish Republican and was convinced the Royal Mail intercepted her post. As a young child I didn’t really understand the logic but I usually got an ice cream for going with her, so hey-ho!

[Bostonhibby]

My gran used to faithfully do Spot the Ball but insisted on delivering her entry direct to the office on North Bridge. She was very much a strong Irish Republican and was convinced the Royal Mail intercepted her post. As a young child I didn’t really understand the logic but I usually got an ice cream for going with her, so hey-ho!I had the job of posting the damn thing on the way to school. Bet they found a couple of million unchecked entries behind a filing cabinet when the papers moved buildings.

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[heretoday]

For all its faults the EEN remains a lifeline for a lot of folk, particularly the elderly, who don't have the Web and want news about their local communities.

[lord bunberry]

For all its faults the EEN remains a lifeline for a lot of folk, particularly the elderly, who don't have the Web and want news about their local communities.
The problem is it doesn’t really fill that brief anymore, it’s full of regurgitated stories from other sources. As I said earlier if it was free and concentrated on local stories it could have a future, whether the advertising revenue would be enough to sustain is up for debate. The fact that it’s in the same group as the Scotsman and the Scotland on Sunday lessens it’s chances imo.

[JimBHibees]

The Independent claims to be impartial. The tabloids, with the obvious exception of the Daily Mail, tend to go with the prevailing wind. The Telegraph is as rabidly Tory as the National is SNP though I doubt that even the Telegraph would run with the level of sycophancy towards a serving politician that the National has decided to go with today.

What do you mean it is an important birthday? :greengrin

[Logie Green]

Different times, that's for sure. My old man was a Spot the Ball player. Every week he swore he'd picked it right.

Now we know it was a Jambo conspiracy all along[emoji6]

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Jambos had the best chance of winning as they’re more used to seeing the ball in the air....

[heretoday]

The problem is it doesn’t really fill that brief anymore, it’s full of regurgitated stories from other sources. As I said earlier if it was free and concentrated on local stories it could have a future, whether the advertising revenue would be enough to sustain is up for debate. The fact that it’s in the same group as the Scotsman and the Scotland on Sunday lessens it’s chances imo.

Well, I'm afraid I don't agree. There are a considerable number of "local" stories in the paper which simply would not get covered anywhere else, save in The Edinburgh Reporter which I think only comes out once a month.

You'll not get extensive local stuff on Radio Forth (or whatever it's currently called) or the BBC so how is an isolated old person going to keep abreast of current affairs in their city and community? Not everyone has access to moblies or PCs.

[Peevemor]

Screen shot from today's Scotsman.

23780

Reminds me of the "where can I watch the match in Qubalıbalaoğlan" threads that used to appear on here every time somebody wanted to show how interesting and exotic they were.

[Keith_M]

This probably sounds like a strange thing to write but I actually don't mind the print versions of some papers, like the EEN, even though their websites drive me nuts.


I find the Guardian the same. The online version normally puts the Virtue Signalling, Corbyn-is-an-anti-semite, The Whole World's Against Me, Use your White Privilege & 'Today In the Partiarchy' crap on the front page and it puts me off. But the actual print version often has some decent stories that I quite enjoy reading.

[lord bunberry]

Well, I'm afraid I don't agree. There are a considerable number of "local" stories in the paper which simply would not get covered anywhere else, save in The Edinburgh Reporter which I think only comes out once a month.

You'll not get extensive local stuff on Radio Forth (or whatever it's currently called) or the BBC so how is an isolated old person going to keep abreast of current affairs in their city and community? Not everyone has access to moblies or PCs.
I’m not sure what point you’re trying to make, I’m not saying it should be binned, I’m saying it should be more of a local paper and be free. A local version of the metro.

[Keith_M]

I’m not sure what point you’re trying to make, I’m not saying it should be binned, I’m saying it should be more of a local paper and be free. A local version of the metro.


But they're struggling for money just now, so I'm not sure that's really an option.

[overdrive]

The click bait style 10 best places to do blah blah blah “articles” exhaust the weekly free article limit as each page of these articles counts as a different article.