The Press and Journal has been the trusted voice of the north and north-east of Scotland for generations, serving our extraordinary part of the world now for more than 275 years.
That makes us one of the world’s oldest newspapers. But don’t let age deceive you: The P&J is far from being only a traditional print newspaper.
The Press and Journal’s digital transformation
To future-proof our work on behalf of all the communities we serve, we have transformed our newsroom and the way we tell the stories that matter to you.
While we continue to focus on local news and views, we bring them to life in new ways such as inspirational documentaries, award-winning, engaging podcasts and interactive in-depth explorations of the issues most relevant to readers’ day-to-day lives.
We face the future in excellent shape with a rapidly expanding audience of digital subscribers.
We are proud of those achievements but never rest on our laurels.
The Press and Journal: honest and reliable
In 1748, The P&J pledged its loyalty to the people and communities of our regions and promised to tell their stories fairly and accurately – a promise we stand by today
Our reputation is founded in our honesty and reliability, a trust built over centuries that what we publish can be relied on without the need for fact-checking. It is a position of privilege and responsibility that you should know we carefully guard and never take lightly.
On this page you will find full details about who we are and how we define our mission, the standards we set ourselves and much else besides – because we cannot demand openness, honesty and accountability from others without being committed to it ourselves.
Read The Press and Journal’s first edition
FAQs
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Our mission is to enrich the lives of the people who live in our communities as truthseekers, witnesses, voice givers and advocates.
We achieve it through journalism that is trustworthy, accountable, courageous, fair and entertaining.
We aim to keep you informed, entertained, intrigued and involved, to make you laugh and cry, to fight for fairness and justice on your behalf and to reveal things as they really are.
Whether the news is good or bad, tragic or joyful, scandalous or inspiring, our dedicated teams will be there to bring it to you quickly and comprehensively.
We delve deep into the issues that matter to our communities, answer the burning questions on everyone’s minds help untangle the complex debates and provide the sort of information you need to make up your own mind about hot topics.
Our highly-trained journalists check the facts so that you don’t have to and we subject ourselves to the strict professional standards set down by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (Ipso) so that you know you can trust what you read.
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Every story starts with you.
Good journalism is a conversation, not a lecture – and most often one started by someone like you calling us, sending a letter or an email or contacting us on social media. Never hesitate to get in touch – whether about breaking news, an injustice you think needs exposing, a campaign you would like us to run or to let us know about other features and content you would like to see us provide.
Only by listening to our readers can we be sure we are writing about the things that really matter to the people of the north and north-east.
Details of how to get in touch with the right teams can be found by clicking here.
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Some Press and Journal online content is funded by outside parties. The revenue from this helps to sustain our independent news gathering. You will always know if you are reading paid-for material as it will be clearly labelled as “Partnership” on the site and on social media channels,
This can take two different forms.
“Presented by” means the content has been paid for and produced by the named advertiser.
“In partnership with” means the content has been paid for and approved by the named advertiser but written and edited by our own commercial content team.
To speak to us about paid-for content please email advertise@dctmedia.co.uk
You can see some examples of our Partnership content here.
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Staff right across our operation are highly trained and have a clear understanding of the importance placed on maintaining the highest ethical standards. We know our good reputation depends on it.
This includes careful checks that what we publish comes from reliable sources – named wherever possible – is accurate, responsible and fair.
That strong commitment is underpinned by adherence to the Editors’ Code laid down by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (Ipso), our regulator.
In a world where information is everywhere, the presence of the Ipso Mark on our publications is a signal that the contents are to be fully trusted.
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We have a team dedicated to dealing with any questions, queries or issues you have with your subscription to our services.
They can be reached Monday to Friday 8am to 5pm on 0800 0294955 or by emailing pjdigital@ajl.co.uk Please have your email address and subscription details available.
If you believe anything we publish does not meet our editorial standards, please let us know by contacting complaints@ajl.co.uk. Make sure to include as many details as possible. Clear procedures for the reasonable and prompt handling of complaints are in place and we do not hesitate to make amends when we have made a mistake.
A record of the corrections and clarifications we make can be found here.
We aim always to resolve any disputes ourselves. Where that proves impossible, Ipso can make its own investigations. Details of that process are here.
Ipso produces a number of useful guides to common concerns about issues such as:
The full list can be found here
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The letters pages of the print editions of our newspapers have long provided a healthy forum for readers to debate the issues of the day and provide different perspectives on the subjects we are covering elsewhere in the pages. That tradition has now been translated to the web too.
You can see some of the latest submissions here.
We welcome the widest possible spectrum of contributors and views and seek a debate that is vigorous without ever becoming abusive.
If you want to have your say please click below or email pj.letters@ajl.co.uk or ee.letters@ajl.co.ukIn order to have the best chance of seeing your letter published, please make sure it is:
- no more than 250 words (that is a maximum, not a recommended length);
- to the point and does not wander;
- factually accurate (express opinions but make clear that is what they are);
- not abusive;
- likely to make other readers think, laugh, cry or want to reply.
Letters may be edited for length, accuracy, taste and tone, will only be published anonymously in very exceptional circumstances and may appear in any of our publications. Full contact details must be supplied for verification purposes but only edited versions of these will be published.
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Since 2006, Aberdeen Journals has been part of DC Thomson, one of the UK’s leading media organisations.
DC Thomson is an established family enterprise that has origins in the entrepreneurship of William Thomson in the early 19th century when the firm’s main business was in shipping.
During the mid-19th century, the Thomson family invested in publishing, taking an interest in the Dundee Courier and buying it in 1866.
At that stage there were two major publishing houses in Dundee, the other was run by Sir John Leng.
In 1905, the Thomson and Leng firms merged under the leadership of William Thomson’s son David Couper (D.C.) Thomson. DC Thomson bought Aberdeen Journals, the publishers of the Press and Journal and Evening Express, in 2006.
As well as the Press and Journal and Evening Express, it publishes The Courier, Evening Telegraph and The Sunday Post. As well as DC Thomson Media, DC Thomson Group includes global genealogy company Findmypast, leading IT business services provider Brightsolid, multimedia studio Beano Studios and magazine publishers Puzzler Media and The Stylist Group.
For more information visit www.dcthomson.co.uk
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We report “without fear of favour”. Our news coverage cannot be bought, not with money nor with influence. We are fiercely independent of any particular political party or philosophy.
That does not mean that we do not take a firm position on big issues.
Far from it. It means simply that we treat each one on its merits. When we feel strongly that something is right or wrong, we never hesitate to make that very clear and to act positively to promote or to change it.
Those decisions are not shaped by any outside influence except one: what we think is best for the people of the north and the north-east of Scotland. Our readers and the communities they are part of are the only group whose best interests we unashamedly seek to support and champion in everything we do.
