The Glasgow Times has been congratulated by MSPs on its 150th anniversary, highlighting the paper’s “dedication” to the city and its reputation for campaigning journalism.
Today marks 150 years since the first edition of the then Evening Times was published on June 5, 1876.
In that time the paper has moved its HQ and printing presses to different locations and seen thousands of journalists report on the major events throughout the city’s history.
Paul Sweeney, Glasgow Labour MSP, lodged a motion in the Scottish Parliament which “congratulates the Glasgow Times on its 150th anniversary” and acknowledges the origins as “as a newspaper for working-class Glaswegians wishing to be informed and entertained as they came home from work”.
He added: “It was born into what was known as the ‘second city of the empire’ at the height of its industrial might, catering specifically to a highly literate, skilled workforce in the shipyards, foundries and engineering works on Clydeside.”
Sweeney, who has a deep knowledge of and interest in the city’s architectural history, added: “For much of its history the paper was written and printed in the heart of the city at the iconic Glasgow Herald Building on Mitchell Street, designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh and known today as ‘The Lighthouse’, where the thunder of the presses once shook the pavement as editions were rushed out to vendors.”
The paper’s presence on the streets contributed to the sights and sounds of the city.
The motion continues: “For 150 years the newspaper has served as a daily mirror to the city’s life, famously sold by street vendors shouting, ‘Final Times!’, to crowds of workers pouring out of factory and shipyard gates and onto tram and subway cars.
“For 150 years it has provided news and opinion on every major event that has taken place in the city of Glasgow.”
Sweeney, a former Evening Times paper boy, praised the paper for its endeavours over the course of its history through changing times.
His motion recognised: “Its vital historical role in connecting Glaswegians not just to local matters but to the global trade networks that their labour supported; praises its legacy of delivering up-to-the-minute telegraph news, from foreign affairs to the latest football results, long before the age of broadcast and social media.”
And it: “Welcomes its long-standing commitments to accurate reporting and speaking truth to power, praises the editors, journalists, photographers, vendors, paper boys and girls and all associated staff, past and present, for their unwavering dedication to the city, including their support for countless local campaigns and community initiatives, and wishes everyone at the Glasgow Times all the best for their next 150 years and beyond.”
The motion so far has the support of several MSPs from Labour, the SNP, Conservatives, Greens and Reform UK.
