Thank you for getting us off to a flying start
Thank you for getting us off to a flying start
Looking back on our first few months - and planning for the future
Hello Inquirers,
The end of the year has found us in reflective mood as we look back on what has been a momentous year for us personally.
When we decided in the Spring, over a series of coffees and bacon rolls, that Edinburgh needed a new kind of ‘newspaper’ - one that would both champion the many great things going on here and hold the city’s authorities to account - we really didn’t know where it would lead.
We knew many of you were fed up with much of what was on offer - with all the annoying pop-up ads and ‘click bait’ headlines - and did not know where to go when you wanted to raise an issue of serious concern.
We were sure you valued what good journalism brought to the life of the city and hoped many of you would be willing and able to pay to support it.
Thank you for the support you have given us in the five months since the launch of the Edinburgh Inquirer. Your feedback and encouragement has made us more convinced than ever of the need for more thoughtful and considered journalism about this great city we all call home.
As we looked back over the last few months, we were intrigued - and, at times, a little surprised - to see which of our regular in-depth features had resonated most.
We thought you would be interested to join us in looking back on our most popular articles of 2023 and perhaps in the process discover some long reads that you didn’t have time to enjoy during all the hurlyburly of daily life.
What have we learned about what fires your reading habits? Well, besides some particular issues which clearly lie close to many of your hearts, you certainly have wide and varied interests (and, obviously, great taste, having subscribed to the Inquirer!).
Here, in no particular order, are the ten long reads that made the biggest impression on you. A few were inspired by your suggestions - and we would of course love to hear from you about other subjects you would like us to dig into.
You are clearly interested in the environment and how we get about the city. Three of our best read articles related to transport, air pollution and how we can keep moving but in less destructive and more sustainable ways.
You particularly enjoyed our exclusive report on how the city plans to expand its tram network and develop public transport - New tram route through the Meadows and go-ahead for merger with Lothian Buses - and our interview with the city’s transport leader Scott Arthur on Edinburgh’s vision for the future following Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham’s decision to pull back from imposing charges on the most polluting vehicles - 'Only electric vehicles is probably the next step for the city centre'.
Our interview with the medics who want to see more data collected to measure the true impact of toxins in the air on city children - 'Put air pollution monitors outside all our schools' - also made a big impression.
You are also clearly concerned about the city’s affordable housing emergency. Freelance journalist Robyn Bell’s deep dive into the ways in which it is affecting life for tens of thousands of Edinburgh citizens - Generation Rent: The tenants being squeezed out by Edinburgh's housing crisis - is our single best read feature to date.
Our exclusive report on the likely enormous impact of the city’s plans for regulating short-term lets - Edinburgh crackdown expected to see 80% of Airbnbs close - was another of the best read.
Euan McGrory has never seen himself as a fashion journalist, but he thoroughly enjoyed looking into what the arrival of one of the world’s biggest brands tells us about the city today - Gucci coup a sign of why Edinburgh is bouncing when other cities are struggling - and you clearly enjoyed reading it too.
You were also fascinated by David Forsyth’s deep dive into the debate over how a visitor levy might work in the Capital - Tourist Tax: A new deal or a duel for Edinburgh?
One thing that we have tried to do is report on the business of the city in a different way to what you might read elsewhere. You particularly enjoyed our look at Edinburgh’s inland surf resort and the man who has made it all possible - The surfer with a dream who is about to put Ratho on the world map - and the office of the future - Desert cacti on the desk, chill booths, a bike wash machine, and hi-tech hotdesking.
Oh, and last but far from least, you clearly enjoy your coffee, and being able to drink it with a clear conscience, as you appreciated food and drink writer Cat Thomson’s hunt for ethically sourced cuppas - Trailblazers changing the city's daily coffee grind for the better - so much.
If our journalism feels different from what you read elsewhere about Edinburgh, then there is a reason for that. Our journalism feels different because it is funded in a different way.
We do not rely for our livelihoods on attracting as many eyeballs as possible to as many article as possible in order to satisfy advertisers. Instead we rely on our paid subscribers to make what we do possible. That gives us the time to spend days - or sometimes even weeks - researching and investigating, so that we have a really good understanding of an issue before we publish.
We intend to continue publishing the Inquirer during 2024 and hope to expand by commissioning more freelance writers to report on more issues in more depth than we would otherwise be able to do. We can only do that with your support.
If you enjoy what we do and believe it enriches life in the Capital, please consider joining us as a paying member. It costs only £8 a month, or just £80 when you sign up for a full year - that is the equivalent of £1.54 a week, less than the cost of a coffee or a single broadsheet newspaper. For that, you get eight exclusive newsletters a month, access to our complete archive and invitations to our subscriber-only events.
We would be delighted to welcome you to our growing Inquirer community supporting public interest journalism in Scotland’s Capital.
Thanks for reading and all the very best to you and your loved ones for 2024.