At a time when many journalists either regard the internet as a threat, or an opportunity that they don't quite know how to exploit, one former online newspaper editor has decided to launch an online newspaper.
Stewart Kirkpatrick, former editor of Scotsman.com – announced his intention on the AllMediaScotland site on Monday.
There is room - in fact, a desperate need - for an online, heavyweight publication committed to quality journalism. Scotland needs an intelligent title that uses the internet, not fights against it.
So, what model does he plan to adopt? First of all, Kirkpatrick seems to intend keeping staff to a necessary minimum ("I have not hired vast numbers of support staff. Nor have I combed the newsrooms of the land for weel kent faces").
Secondly, he hasn't abandoned print entirely - although, tantalisingly, he doesn't explain how it will be used. The new title won't have a traditional print run, and he hasn't taken on huge debts to buy presses. But all he will say for now is that "We will use print because it is a fantastic medium but we will use it in innovative, unexpected ways."
Most hearteningly, Kirkpatrick is aiming to place quality of content over quantity.
We've signed up leading writers, respected authorities in their fields and asked them to let rip. We want them to tell the stories that the churning maelstrom of the old-fashioned newsroom never allowed. We're interested in quality, not filling space. We're not worried about what's in the other papers this morning, we want to be told something we don't know already.
Unlike many titles - especially in the USA - that have dropped their print editions and become online-only publications, Kirkpatrick's new title offers the promise of a newspaper thought out for a modern publishing environment, and not one that has been hacked about to fit as best as it can.
But will it work? And will the new site help itself with good SEO, or boldly rely on the draw of its content alone? We can't wait to find out.
