YOU should subscribe to The National because you disagree with what we publish.
And that isn’t an appeal to Unionists (though that wouldn’t do any harm either!).
This particular message, I’m directing to a much broader audience – so let me explain what I mean, because at £10 for a whole year, there’s never been a better time to subscribe to receive unlimited access to our website and all the perks that go with that.
Newspapers should facilitate healthy debate. Social media makes that harder and harder to do, so we know we have a huge responsibility on our hands.
READ MORE: 10 reasons to subscribe to The National for £10 on our 10th birthday
If every column in our newspaper is one you agree with, we’re doing our job wrong – because we should be providing a platform to those willing to challenge your views.
We know our readers are big enough to handle disagreement … and that doesn’t mean accepting an opposing view without argument – it means being willing to go back and forth with an open mind to find the best route forward.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ON OUR SUBSCRIPTION OFFER
Over the past year, we’ve broadened out our contributor base to bring in more perspectives. Whether that’s Owen Jones, Assa Samaké-Roman or Robin McAlpine, all have in their own way put forward cases that have sparked debate on our letters pages.
But alongside that, we look to inform with our news coverage. For us, news about royal family rip-offs, the independence movement and BBC bias is far more newsworthy than for other titles.
Not to mention our leading coverage on land reform.
This news coverage helps build up the lens through which you can view our selection of opinion and analysis.
READ MORE: Richard Murphy: Why you should subscribe to The National for £10
The National is a publication that will always give a fair showing to the differing perspectives with the independence movement, knowing that our readers are fully capable of making their own minds up.
By subscribing for just £10 for a whole year, you won’t miss out on any of those perspectives. Your views will be challenged. You may even get into a debate in the comments section of an article! But in the end, you’ll know we’re all pulling in the same direction – towards a better future for Scotland.
So we hope we can win your support. If you want more details, please just click HERE.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
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