Two of Scotland’s arts journalists came together at the Traverse Theatre on Wednesday to discuss their careers, work and the broader state of cultural journalism in Scotland.
As a theatre committed to “new ideas, conversations and new Scottish writing,” and to the belief that the arts sector needs “thoughtful and meaningful cultural commentary,” the Traverse provided a natural home for exactly the kind of discussion that followed.
Brian Ferguson, Arts Correspondent at The Herald, and Jane Bradley, Arts and Culture Correspondent at The Scotsman, appeared at ‘Meet the Correspondents’, a public discussion chaired by David Gaffney, senior partner at Charlotte Street Partners, the PR firm which organised the event.
The Traverse bar was well filled before the discussion formally began. This event generated a high level of interest, illustrating just how important the arts and culture sector is in Scotland. The audience was largely professional, drawn from across the cultural sector, including journalists, reviewers and representatives of cultural institutions, as well as journalism students from Napier University, where Ferguson trained.
Into the Profession
Both journalists spoke about their routes into the profession, noting that their backgrounds were in core journalism rather than the arts specifically, a grounding they felt prepared them well for working across any subject area. Both had worked other ‘beats’ including business and politics and the knowledge and experience gained had assited them in their present roles. They described starting out in an era before digital transformed the media landscape, with an early instinct for seeking out stories and cultivating contacts across the cultural sector.
Specialists who survived
A notable point raised early in the discussion was that dedicated arts correspondents had survived the significant cuts made in other areas of specialist journalism in the Scottish press. Both speakers were clear that this mattered. Ferguson and Bradley described specialist cultural coverage as a vital part of the country’s cultural life and, on a personal level, were unambiguous about their enthusiasm for the work. “It’s the best job in the world,”, spending their days engaging with something they find interesting and consider significant.
Champions, not critics
On the question of their approach to coverage, Ferguson and Bradley were straightforward: their primary roles are as reporters rather than critics, with reviewing left to their respective teams. They described themselves as champions of the arts, seeing their job as highlighting and promoting cultural activity rather than providing negative criticism, which they felt was the role of the reviewers in their teams. They were part of an ecosystem, with different people playing different roles.
The boycott debate
On contentious issues, the discussion touched in some detail on boycotts of cultural events, over funding from organisations they disaproved of, by writers etc. An audience member felt the coverage of such disputes had been too even-handed and that journalists had a responsibility to scrutinise the financial consequences more directly. Ferguson and Bradley’s response reflected their broader position: a specialist correspondent “can’t really come down on one side or another,” they argued, with more pointed commentary being the territory of columnists. Their job was to report the controversy and give all parties fair representation.
A boom time for culture
The pair also offered a broadly positive assessment of the cultural landscape. Pointing to strong audience figures at museums and theatres, and to major productions at venues such as the Edinburgh Playhouse, they described the level of cultural activity in Edinburgh and Glasgow as “astonishing,” calling it “a boom time for the big shows.” Audience numbers were cited as a central measure of cultural vitality, with both journalists noting there was “no shortage of stuff to write about.”
The conversation reflected on what the sector would look like without this kind of coverage. “It would be bleak,” both said, without dedicated arts correspondents in the national papers. As evidence that the coverage went beyond surface-level reporting, they pointed to regular “deep dives” into cultural subjects as part of their output. They also invited representatives of cultural institutions to pitch column pieces directly to their papers.
The digital challenge
The challenge of working in a digital media environment also came up. In the era of print, readers would routinely encounter stories they hadn’t specifically looked for. Online, audiences tend to find only what they have already chosen to seek out, making it harder for cultural stories to compete for attention against sport, crime and politics. The implications for arts coverage, which rarely matches those subjects for click volume, were acknowledged as significant.
A national remit
Both journalists said their remit was national, with a deliberate effort to cover cultural activity beyond the central belt. They also reflected that the traditional associations of their respective papers with Glasgow and Edinburgh had become less pronounced over time, noting that The Herald had quietly dropped its original title, the Glasgow Herald, in the 1990s.
The discussion was organised by Charlotte Street Partners. The Traverse Theatre hosts regular public events as part of its commitment to new ideas and conversation. Meet the Correspondents offered a timely and well-attended forum for reflecting on the state of arts journalism in Scotland.
Ferguson and Bradley are experienced journalists with a genuine passion for cultural coverage, committed to fair and thorough reporting across a busy and varied scene. Their presence in the national press, they argued convincingly, matters both to the sector and to the wider public.
