That this House recognises the vital role of regional news journalism in supporting democratic accountability, public engagement in civic life, and community representation across Scotland; notes the proposals by STV to centralise news production and end the separate STV North service, including the removal of studio presentation from Aberdeen and the reduction of regional and local bulletins; expresses concern that these changes would weaken public service broadcasting obligations, reduce media plurality, and harm equal access to high-quality local news; further notes opposition from the National Union of Journalists and the walk-out by STV journalists and staff in protest of the proposals, reflecting serious concern within the industry over the proposals; and calls on Ofcom to reject proposals that undermine regional news provision and instead to uphold strong public service broadcasting commitments that protect regional representation across Scotland.

That this House recognises the vital role of regional news journalism in supporting democratic accountability, public engagement in civic life, and community representation across Scotland; notes the proposals by STV to centralise news production and end the separate STV North service, including the removal of studio presentation from Aberdeen and...

That this House regrets the announcement by STV that it intends to axe STV North’s regular evening news programming with subsequent job losses across the Grampian, Angus and Highland and Islands area; notes that democratic accountability is increasingly threatened by diminishing news resources; further notes the proposals to reduce staffing across the organisation and calls on the company to engage meaningfully with trade unions and staff over the plans; calls on the regulator Ofcom to conduct an immediate review on how the company is meeting regional broadcast licence obligations to provide news coverage for distinct areas of Scotland; and further calls on the Scottish Affairs and Culture, Media and Sport Select Committees to hold rapid investigations into news broadcasting coverage in Scotland.

That this House regrets the announcement by STV that it intends to axe STV North’s regular evening news programming with subsequent job losses across the Grampian, Angus and Highland and Islands area; notes that democratic accountability is increasingly threatened by diminishing news resources; further notes the proposals to reduce staffing...

That this House supports the decision by members of the Scottish Television (STV) workforce to initiate strike action on Thursday 28 March 2024 following an overwhelming mandate from a ballot in favour of industrial action due to the breakdown in pay negotiations at the broadcaster; acknowledges that this marks the start of a series of disruptions to STV's flagship news programming throughout the spring and summer seasons; recognises that the strike will result in the depletion of newsroom resources in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee, Aberdeen, and Inverness; further recognises that the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) is advocating for a six per cent pay rise for its members to counter the effects of inflation amidst a record cost-of-living crisis experienced last year; observes that STV has only offered this increase to the bottom three per cent of earners, citing financial constraints despite recording profits exceeding £20 million on record revenues in the previous fiscal year; further supports the sentiment expressed by Nick McGowan-Lowe, NUJ Scotland National Organiser, who highlighted that STV journalists are not merely reporting on the cost-of-living crisis but are actively experiencing its ramifications and emphasises that these journalists, who contribute to STV's acclaimed journalism, are simply seeking a wage increase commensurate with inflation; urges Simon Pitts, Chief Executive of STV, and the STV Board to engage constructively with union representatives and reconsider their position recognising the reasonable demands of the workforce; and calls for a fair, equitable resolution to the dispute that respects the contributions of STV journalists.

That this House supports the decision by members of the Scottish Television (STV) workforce to initiate strike action on Thursday 28 March 2024 following an overwhelming mandate from a ballot in favour of industrial action due to the breakdown in pay negotiations at the broadcaster; acknowledges that this marks the...