It also has a fuzzy generality more attractive to policy makers than to journalists who prefer sharp black and white. Scottish journalists have in the past been accused of an obsession with employment growth, understandable perhaps given the pervasive economic gloom as our traditional industries collapsed. ‘Jobs boost for Scotland’ stories were usually celebratory and seldom pursued hard questions about the adverse impact some larger developments might have on the environment. Recent times have seen an undoubted greening of newspapers and television, no doubt partly in response to the concerns of their customers. Now business lobbies are more likely to complain that every protest from a green fringe group is automatically amplified by their soulmates in the media.

Tensions between economic and environmental interests are inescapable in most big projects and therefor generate a stream of stories for journalists, for which much thanks. As media owners, we at Scottish Media Group ask our newspapers to be accurate and fair while at the same time guaranteeing their editorial independence. The Herald and Evening Times can and do express opposing opinions on controversial issues. In newspapers environmental policy is seen increasingly as requiring dedicated, specialist reporters and feature writers. Indeed The Herald recently introduced a regular section dedicated to environmental matters.

Public service television is different from newspapers since impartiality is a licence requirement under the Broadcasting Act in any public controversy reported by Grampian or Scottish Television. Fairness and accuracy on screen are also policed by the Independent Television Commission through a rigorous compliance process. Complaints from the public are more usually about taste and decency. Consistent misreporting of environmental arguments has never been a problem in television.

Both ITV stations in Scotland have a great tradition of outdoor programming. For many years Tom Weir was STV’s guide to the hills, to be succeeded by Muriel Gray with her highly watchable Munro Show which encouraged many young Scots to make for the mountains. As you would expect from the broadcaster covering the north of Scotland, Grampian has made some outstanding series about how people in the Highlands sustain and develop their fragile communities, none better than A Glen for All Seasons about Strathconnell which was screened last year to large, appreciative audiences.

Research shows that if any single factor unites normally fractious Scots it is a love for the landscape of their beautiful, big country.

Special pleading is inescapable in special interest publications. Our magazine The Great Outdoors clearly speaks for the recreational interests of walkers and climbers, as The Scottish Farmer does for the agriculture industry. That said, all good reporting should aspire to accuracy. This is particularly important for specialist correspondents who are always in danger of ‘capture’ by the interest groups they deal with daily and whose trust ensures a steady supply of inside information. Only the most combative editor would appoint agricultural correspondents who want subsidies eliminated, tourist correspondents who scorn heritage or environ-mental correspondents who think greens are alarmists. However if the arguments are to be unpacked in a sensible, informed fashion then good responsible journalism is indispensable in the rapidly changing politics of Scotland which may focus more frequently on rural and environmental issues when MSPs from across the country assemble in Edinburgh next year.

In Scotland issues of sustainable development need not be dramatic or divisive. For some years now I have been involved with Scottish Natural Heritage in one of the more benign projects imaginable, Paths for All, developing networks of paths for walkers, cyclists and riders around our towns and villages. Scottish Media Group has backed Paths for All as its Millennium Project and regularly records progress in the television series Scottish Action. The heart-warming reports of community achievement are popular with viewers, who are encouraged to start their own local projects. Yet even Paths for All works constantly to be inclusive. Local farmers and landowners must be encouraged to co-operate. Ramblers must be respectful of the rights of others. Councillors need persuading that paths can represent a cheaper, healthier, more broadly appreciated community asset than, say, a sports hall or swimming pool.

By contrast, taking over the chairmanship of the Cairngorms Partnership reintroduced me to divisions more familiar from years reporting rumbustious wrangling in old-style politics. My response to that is to propose the way forward for more ‘holistic’ and better government is through partnerships on a host of projects with ‘Sustainability’ at their centre. Subsequently our consensual partnership approach in the Cairngorms has, I trust, helped shift the emphasis towards positive co-operation on practical projects. Old enmities can surely be replaced by the developing convergence of interest in areas like agri-environmental policy. While accepting the limitations of the voluntary principle, and the obvious fact that not all differences are reconcilable, the Cairngorms Partnership has managed to involve major national agencies and special interest groups because the area is clearly of national importance to Scotland.

The future of the Cairngorms as a candidate for National Park status is an important issue in which the Partnership plans to play the role of trusted broker, encouraging informed debate locally and involving elected representatives from the 15 wards and 26 community councils in the area. Local fears are of an overbearing park authority with powers to blight development. Other critics complain of so called ‘green imperialists’, large environmental groups imagined to be flush with funds and zealous in pursuit of overly protectionist policies. Landowners are also increasingly fearful that a Scottish Parliament might produce a radical land reform policy driven by resentments that stretch back to the Highland Clearances. Economic changes at UK and European level threaten farmers. The Partnership body for the Cairngorms wants to see all relevant positions fairly presented and where possible reconciled in the coming debate on a National Parks policy for Scotland.

Many of these concerns increasingly cluster around areas of policy encompassed by the concept of sustainable development. Since May 1997 the Government has constantly emphasised its commitment to consultation and inclusiveness, producing a range of readable publications on biodiversity, agri-environmental schemes, land ownership issues and rural development. Too radical for some in their emphasis on the empowerment of rural communities, too timid for others in appearing to pass the tougher decisions on to the first Scottish Parliament, the consultative initiatives of Lord Sewel are designed to encourage greater public involvement in these vital debates. Coming from a media background that approach wins my wholehearted approval.

Gus Macdonald is Chairman of the Scottish Media Group and Chairman of the Cairngorms Partnership