Former Scotsman editor launches new media business

Jan 6

2 min read

Neil McIntosh, the former editor of The Scotsman, is back in journalism after launching his own media business.

The new venture, Early Line Media, will take the form of a daily newsletter, The Early Line, which is designed for Scotland’s business, political and civic leaders. It will distil news and analysis from Scotland, the UK and beyond into a five-minute read, dropping into subscribers’ inboxes by 7am, Monday to Friday:

“After years of watching − and writing about − others taking entrepreneurial plunges into the digital-media revolution, I’ve resolved to do something myself,” Neil said: “The Early Line has grown out of conversations with dozens of Scotland’s business, political and civic leaders. Their world has multiple layers − Scotland, UK, world − and a common refrain is that our fragmented media landscape makes it difficult to keep up.

“The newsletter provides bite-size news and analysis of the major events in Scotland, the UK and abroad, along with coverage of the big ideas shaping our world. Every story has links that allow the interested to pursue deeper insight, drawn from the best journalism and commentary out there.

“These days, much of the best coverage and discussion happens away from traditional brands − on Substack, podcasts and social media,” observed Neil: “Consuming all those multiple sources to put together a full picture takes time those readers don’t have.

“The Early Line is a quick, reliable way to stay informed in a busy world. There is still good, quality journalism about Scotland, the UK and the wider world out there − about politics, tech, business, ideas, entertainment and sport. You just need to find it and I firmly believe I can help.

“It is designed for busy Scots - and anyone who cares about connecting the dots in a complex world. I promise to bring clarity to readers’ mornings − and to do what I can to help good journalism be seen, and thrive.”

The Early Line will have a free basic subscription. There is also an option to pay either £6.99 per month or £69 per year. This is for subscribers who want to support the newsletter, and get access to an entertainment and leisure-focused edition every Saturday, which will be sent to paying readers only.

www.earlyline.co