Digital Publishing
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Former Johnston Press editor launches new weekly to rival ex-employer

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A former Johnston Press editor has launched a weekly newspaper to rival his former employer.

Jason Marshall, who took voluntary redundancy from the regional publishing giant in May after 30 years, put out the first edition of The Hawick Paper on Friday.

It is in direct competition with Johnston Press’s weekly title the Hawick News, which covers the Scottish border town, which Marshall edited for nine years.

The News had a circulation of 4,741 copies when last audited in 2012, ABC records show.

The Paper costs 90p and employs a full-time advertising executive, with several freelance reporters and photographers contributing.

Marshall said that newsagents had already sold out and were requesting extra copies on Friday morning.

He said: “We’ve had a phenomenal reaction to the paper from townsfolk and advertisers, all of whom have backed us to the hilt. We’re a hyper-local title, with reporters on the ground in Hawick, and very affordable advertising rates.

“For what it’s worth, re the current state of the industry, people haven’t fallen out of love with newspapers, they’ve fallen out of love with what’s in them.”

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