Journalists Famous Journalists from Scotland

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List of notable or famous journalists from Scotland, with bios and photos, including the top journalists born in Scotland and even some popular journalists who immigrated to Scotland. If you're trying to find out the names of famous Scottish journalists then this list is the perfect resource for you. These journalists are among the most prominent in their field, and information about each well-known journalist from Scotland is included when available.

Examples include Andrew Lang and Iain Torrance.

This historic journalists from Scotland list can help answer the questions "Who are some Scottish journalists of note?" and "Who are the most famous journalists from Scotland?" These prominent journalists of Scotland may or may not be currently alive, but what they all have in common is that they're all respected Scottish journalists.

Use this list of renowned Scottish journalists to discover some new journalists that you aren't familiar with. Don't forget to share this list by clicking one of the social media icons at the top or bottom of the page. (59 items)

1

Alastair Borthwick Died at 90 (1913-2003) Alastair Charles Borthwick OBE was a Scottish author and broadcaster whose books recorded the popularisation of climbing as a working class sport in Scotland, and the Second World War from the ...more

2

Alex Massie age 43 Alex Massie is a Scottish freelance journalist and libertarian commentator based in Edinburgh.

3

Alexander Chalmers Died at 75 (1759-1834) Alexander Chalmers was a Scottish writer. He was born in Aberdeen. Trained as a doctor, he gave up medicine for journalism, and was for some time editor of the Morning Herald. Besides editions ...more

4

Alexander Mackenzie Died at 70 (1822-1892) Alexander Mackenzie, PC, a building contractor and newspaper editor, was the second Prime Minister of Canada, from November 7, 1873 to October 8, 1878.

5

Allan Cunningham Died at 58 (1784-1842) Allan Cunningham was a Scottish poet and author.

6

Andrew Combe Died at 50 (1797-1847) Andrew Combe was a Scottish physician and phrenologist.

7

Andrew Lang Died at 68 (1844-1912) Andrew Lang was a Scots poet, novelist, literary critic, and contributor to the field of anthropology. He is best known as a collector of folk and fairy tales. The Andrew Lang lectures at the ...more

8

Andrew Marr age 58 Andrew William Stevenson Marr is a British broadcaster and journalist. Beginning his career as a political commentator, he subsequently edited The Independent, and was political editor of BBC ...more

9

Angus Robertson age 48 Angus Struan Carolus Robertson is the Scottish National Party Member of Parliament for Moray. Robertson is the SNP Campaign Director for the referendum on Scottish independence, the SNP's ...more

10

Anne Lorne Gillies Died at 30 (1944-1974) Anne Lorne Gillies is a singer, writer and Gaelic activist. She is a classically-trained musician, with a deep-rooted understanding of Scottish culture, and a professional singer/songwriter who ...more

11

B. C. Forbes Died at 74 (1880-1954) Bertie Charles Forbes was a Scottish-born American financial journalist and author who founded Forbes magazine.

12

Beverley Lyons age 45 Beverley Lyons is a Scottish journalist. She is part of "The Razz" team at the Scottish Daily Record newspaper where she covers Entertainment. In 2002 she was part of a short-lived BBC ...more

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13

Bill Knox Died at 71 (1928-1999) William Knox was a Scottish author, journalist and broadcaster, best known for his crime novels and for presenting the long-running STV series Crimedesk. Born in Glasgow, Knox became the ...more

14

Bill Leckie Bill Leckie is a Scottish Sports journalist and broadcaster who currently writes for the Scottish edition of The Sun newspaper. Leckie also does commentary on Scottish Football League matches ...more

15

Brian Morton age 64 Brian Morton is a Scottish writer, journalist and former broadcaster, specialising in jazz and modern literature. Born in Paisley, near Glasgow and raised in Dunoon, Morton was educated at ...more

16

Carrie Gracie age 56 Carrie Gracie is a Scottish journalist, who is employed by the BBC as the China editor for BBC News.

17

Catherine Carswell Died at 67 (1879-1946) Catherine Roxburgh Carswell was a Scottish author, biographer and journalist, now known as one of the few women who took part in the Scottish Renaissance. Unlike her controversial biography of ...more

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18

Colin Paterson age 44 Colin Paterson is a Scottish journalist and broadcaster who is the entertainment correspondent on BBC Radio 5 Live and has beena presenter and reporter on BBC Three's Liquid News.

19

Danny Wallace age 41 Daniel Frederick "Danny" Wallace is a British filmmaker, comedian, writer, actor, and presenter of radio and television. His notable works include the books Join Me, Yes Man, voice ...more

20

David Cromwell age 56 David Cromwell is a Scottish-born media campaigner and oceanographer. With David Edwards, he is a co-editor of the Media Lens website. Cromwell was born in Glasgow. His mother was a practising ...more

21

David Keenan age 47 David Keenan is a Scottish author, critic and musician. He is the author of England's Hidden Reverse, a biography of Coil, Current 93 and Nurse With Wound, a regular contributor to The Wire ...more

22

Don Paterson age 55 Don Paterson, OBE, FRSL is a Scottish poet, writer and musician.

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23

Dougie Vipond age 51 Douglas "Dougie" Vipond is a Scottish broadcaster for BBC Scotland and drummer for pop band Deacon Blue.

24

Duncan Lunan age 72 Duncan Alasdair Lunan, born October 1945, is a Scottish author with emphasis on astronomy, spaceflight and science fiction, undertaking a wide range of writing and speaking on those and other ...more

25

Eric Linklater Died at 75 (1899-1974) Eric Robert Russell Linklater was a Welsh-born Scottish writer of novels and short stories, military history, and travel books. For The Wind on the Moon, a children's fantasy novel, he won the ...more

26

Gavin Esler age 65 Gavin Esler is a Scottish BBC television presenter and author. Esler was a main presenter on BBC Two's flagship political analysis programme, Newsnight, from January 2003 until January 2014. He ...more

27

George Gleig Died at 87 (1753-1840) George Gleig was a Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church.

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28

Gilbert Adair Died at 67 (1944-2011) Gilbert Adair was a Scottish novelist, poet, film critic and journalist. He was critically most famous for the "fiendish" translation of Georges Perec's postmodern novel A Void, in ...more

29

Gordon Brown age 67 James Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor ...more

30

Gordon Parks Died at 34 (1972-2006) Gordon John Parks, is a Scottish sports journalist and a former footballer.

31

Harry Benson age 88 Harry James Benson, CBE is a Scottish photographer whose pictures have appeared in publications including Life, Vanity Fair, People and The New Yorker. Benson was assigned to travel with The ...more

32

Hugh Dan MacLennan Dr Hugh Dan MacLennan is a Scottish broadcaster, author and sporting academic with specific interest in the sport of shinty. A fluent Gaelic speaker from Lochaber, he attended the University of ...more

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33

Iain Torrance age 69 Iain Richard Torrance, TD, is Pro-Chancellor of the University of Aberdeen, Dean of the Chapel Royal in Scotland, Dean of the Order of the Thistle, Honorary Professor of Early Christian Doctrine ...more

34

Innes Ireland Died at 63 (1930-1993) Robert McGregor Innes Ireland, was a British military officer, engineer, and motor racing driver. He was a larger-than-life character who, according to a rival team boss, "lived without ...more

35

J. R. Black Died at 54 (1826-1880) John Reddie Black was a Scottish publisher, journalist, writer, photographer, and singer. Much of his career was spent in China and Japan where he published several newspapers including The Far ...more

36

James Murdoch Died at 65 (1856-1921) James Murdoch was a Scottish scholar and journalist, who worked as a teacher in the Empire of Japan and Australia. From 1903–1917, he wrote the three-volume A History of Japan, the first ...more

37

James Naughtie age 66 Alexander James "Jim" Naughtie is a British radio presenter and radio news presenter for the BBC. Since 1994 he has been one of the main presenters of Radio 4's Today programme.

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38

John Claudius Loudon Died at 60 (1783-1843) John Claudius Loudon was a Scottish botanist, garden designer and cemetery designer, author and garden magazine editor.

39

John Macdiarmid Died at 29 (1779-1808) Son of a Scottish Clergyman from Weem (Perthshire).

40

Kaye Adams age 55 Kaye Adams is a Scottish television presenter, best known for her appearances on Loose Women from 1999 to 2006 and from 2013.

41

Lachlan John Macintosh Died at 73 (1794-1867) Editor of the Morning Post till 1867.

42

Laurie York Erskine Died at 82 (1894-1976) Laurie York Erskine was a popular boys adventure author, educator, and co-founder of the Solebury School in New Hope, Pennsylvania, United States.

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43

Lawrence Donegan age 56 Lawrence Donegan, is a musician, journalist, and Golf Correspondent at The Guardian. Donegan was educated at St Modan's High School and the University of Glasgow, where his musical career began. ...more

44

Lewis Spence Died at 81 (1874-1955) James Lewis Thomas Chalmers Spence was a Scottish journalist, poet and author. Spence was a Fellow of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, and Vice-President of the ...more

45

Magnus Linklater age 76 Magnus Duncan Linklater, CBE is a British journalist, writer, and former newspaper editor.

46

Magnus Magnusson Died at 78 (1929-2007) Magnus Magnusson, KBE was an Icelandic television presenter, journalist, translator and writer. Based in the United Kingdom, he was born in Iceland but lived in Scotland for almost all of his ...more

47

Malachy Tallack age 37 Malachy Tallack is a Scottish singer-songwriter, journalist, and magazine editor. He edits the magazine Shetland Life, and writes a weekly column for the New Statesman about his experiences of ...more

48

Margaret Ewing Died at 61 (1945-2006) Margaret Anne Ewing was a Scottish teacher, journalist and politician. She served as a Scottish National Party Member of Parliament for East Dunbartonshire from 1974 to 1979 and Moray from 1987 ...more

49

Muriel Gray age 59 Muriel Gray is a Scottish author, broadcaster and journalist. She first came to public notice as an interviewer on Channel 4’s alternative pop show The Tube, and then appeared as a regular ...more

50

Neil Forsyth age 40 Neil Forsyth is a Scottish journalist, writer and author best known for creating the character of Bob Servant.

1 Alastair Borthwick Died at 90 (1913-2003) Alastair Charles Borthwick OBE was a Scottish author and broadcaster whose books recorded the popularisation of climbing as a working class sport in Scotland, and the Second World War from the ...more

2 Alex Massie age 43 Alex Massie is a Scottish freelance journalist and libertarian commentator based in Edinburgh.

3 Alexander Chalmers Died at 75 (1759-1834) Alexander Chalmers was a Scottish writer. He was born in Aberdeen. Trained as a doctor, he gave up medicine for journalism, and was for some time editor of the Morning Herald. Besides editions ...more

4 Alexander Mackenzie Died at 70 (1822-1892) Alexander Mackenzie, PC, a building contractor and newspaper editor, was the second Prime Minister of Canada, from November 7, 1873 to October 8, 1878.

5 Allan Cunningham Died at 58 (1784-1842) Allan Cunningham was a Scottish poet and author.

6 Andrew Combe Died at 50 (1797-1847) Andrew Combe was a Scottish physician and phrenologist.

7 Andrew Lang Died at 68 (1844-1912) Andrew Lang was a Scots poet, novelist, literary critic, and contributor to the field of anthropology. He is best known as a collector of folk and fairy tales. The Andrew Lang lectures at the ...more

8 Andrew Marr age 58 Andrew William Stevenson Marr is a British broadcaster and journalist. Beginning his career as a political commentator, he subsequently edited The Independent, and was political editor of BBC ...more

9 Angus Robertson age 48 Angus Struan Carolus Robertson is the Scottish National Party Member of Parliament for Moray. Robertson is the SNP Campaign Director for the referendum on Scottish independence, the SNP's ...more

10 Anne Lorne Gillies Died at 30 (1944-1974) Anne Lorne Gillies is a singer, writer and Gaelic activist. She is a classically-trained musician, with a deep-rooted understanding of Scottish culture, and a professional singer/songwriter who ...more

11 B. C. Forbes Died at 74 (1880-1954) Bertie Charles Forbes was a Scottish-born American financial journalist and author who founded Forbes magazine.

12 Beverley Lyons age 45 Beverley Lyons is a Scottish journalist. She is part of "The Razz" team at the Scottish Daily Record newspaper where she covers Entertainment. In 2002 she was part of a short-lived BBC ...more

13 Bill Knox Died at 71 (1928-1999) William Knox was a Scottish author, journalist and broadcaster, best known for his crime novels and for presenting the long-running STV series Crimedesk. Born in Glasgow, Knox became the ...more

14 Bill Leckie Bill Leckie is a Scottish Sports journalist and broadcaster who currently writes for the Scottish edition of The Sun newspaper. Leckie also does commentary on Scottish Football League matches ...more

15 Brian Morton age 64 Brian Morton is a Scottish writer, journalist and former broadcaster, specialising in jazz and modern literature. Born in Paisley, near Glasgow and raised in Dunoon, Morton was educated at ...more

16 Carrie Gracie age 56 Carrie Gracie is a Scottish journalist, who is employed by the BBC as the China editor for BBC News.

17 Catherine Carswell Died at 67 (1879-1946) Catherine Roxburgh Carswell was a Scottish author, biographer and journalist, now known as one of the few women who took part in the Scottish Renaissance. Unlike her controversial biography of ...more

18 Colin Paterson age 44 Colin Paterson is a Scottish journalist and broadcaster who is the entertainment correspondent on BBC Radio 5 Live and has beena presenter and reporter on BBC Three's Liquid News.

19 Danny Wallace age 41 Daniel Frederick "Danny" Wallace is a British filmmaker, comedian, writer, actor, and presenter of radio and television. His notable works include the books Join Me, Yes Man, voice ...more

20 David Cromwell age 56 David Cromwell is a Scottish-born media campaigner and oceanographer. With David Edwards, he is a co-editor of the Media Lens website. Cromwell was born in Glasgow. His mother was a practising ...more

21 David Keenan age 47 David Keenan is a Scottish author, critic and musician. He is the author of England's Hidden Reverse, a biography of Coil, Current 93 and Nurse With Wound, a regular contributor to The Wire ...more

22 Don Paterson age 55 Don Paterson, OBE, FRSL is a Scottish poet, writer and musician.

23 Dougie Vipond age 51 Douglas "Dougie" Vipond is a Scottish broadcaster for BBC Scotland and drummer for pop band Deacon Blue.

24 Duncan Lunan age 72 Duncan Alasdair Lunan, born October 1945, is a Scottish author with emphasis on astronomy, spaceflight and science fiction, undertaking a wide range of writing and speaking on those and other ...more

25 Eric Linklater Died at 75 (1899-1974) Eric Robert Russell Linklater was a Welsh-born Scottish writer of novels and short stories, military history, and travel books. For The Wind on the Moon, a children's fantasy novel, he won the ...more

26 Gavin Esler age 65 Gavin Esler is a Scottish BBC television presenter and author. Esler was a main presenter on BBC Two's flagship political analysis programme, Newsnight, from January 2003 until January 2014. He ...more

27 George Gleig Died at 87 (1753-1840) George Gleig was a Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church.

28 Gilbert Adair Died at 67 (1944-2011) Gilbert Adair was a Scottish novelist, poet, film critic and journalist. He was critically most famous for the "fiendish" translation of Georges Perec's postmodern novel A Void, in ...more

29 Gordon Brown age 67 James Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor ...more

30 Gordon Parks Died at 34 (1972-2006) Gordon John Parks, is a Scottish sports journalist and a former footballer.

31 Harry Benson age 88 Harry James Benson, CBE is a Scottish photographer whose pictures have appeared in publications including Life, Vanity Fair, People and The New Yorker. Benson was assigned to travel with The ...more

32 Hugh Dan MacLennan Dr Hugh Dan MacLennan is a Scottish broadcaster, author and sporting academic with specific interest in the sport of shinty. A fluent Gaelic speaker from Lochaber, he attended the University of ...more

33 Iain Torrance age 69 Iain Richard Torrance, TD, is Pro-Chancellor of the University of Aberdeen, Dean of the Chapel Royal in Scotland, Dean of the Order of the Thistle, Honorary Professor of Early Christian Doctrine ...more

34 Innes Ireland Died at 63 (1930-1993) Robert McGregor Innes Ireland, was a British military officer, engineer, and motor racing driver. He was a larger-than-life character who, according to a rival team boss, "lived without ...more

35 J. R. Black Died at 54 (1826-1880) John Reddie Black was a Scottish publisher, journalist, writer, photographer, and singer. Much of his career was spent in China and Japan where he published several newspapers including The Far ...more

36 James Murdoch Died at 65 (1856-1921) James Murdoch was a Scottish scholar and journalist, who worked as a teacher in the Empire of Japan and Australia. From 1903–1917, he wrote the three-volume A History of Japan, the first ...more

37 James Naughtie age 66 Alexander James "Jim" Naughtie is a British radio presenter and radio news presenter for the BBC. Since 1994 he has been one of the main presenters of Radio 4's Today programme.

38 John Claudius Loudon Died at 60 (1783-1843) John Claudius Loudon was a Scottish botanist, garden designer and cemetery designer, author and garden magazine editor.

39 John Macdiarmid Died at 29 (1779-1808) Son of a Scottish Clergyman from Weem (Perthshire).

40 Kaye Adams age 55 Kaye Adams is a Scottish television presenter, best known for her appearances on Loose Women from 1999 to 2006 and from 2013.

41 Lachlan John Macintosh Died at 73 (1794-1867) Editor of the Morning Post till 1867.

42 Laurie York Erskine Died at 82 (1894-1976) Laurie York Erskine was a popular boys adventure author, educator, and co-founder of the Solebury School in New Hope, Pennsylvania, United States.

43 Lawrence Donegan age 56 Lawrence Donegan, is a musician, journalist, and Golf Correspondent at The Guardian. Donegan was educated at St Modan's High School and the University of Glasgow, where his musical career began. ...more

44 Lewis Spence Died at 81 (1874-1955) James Lewis Thomas Chalmers Spence was a Scottish journalist, poet and author. Spence was a Fellow of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, and Vice-President of the ...more

45 Magnus Linklater age 76 Magnus Duncan Linklater, CBE is a British journalist, writer, and former newspaper editor.

46 Magnus Magnusson Died at 78 (1929-2007) Magnus Magnusson, KBE was an Icelandic television presenter, journalist, translator and writer. Based in the United Kingdom, he was born in Iceland but lived in Scotland for almost all of his ...more

47 Malachy Tallack age 37 Malachy Tallack is a Scottish singer-songwriter, journalist, and magazine editor. He edits the magazine Shetland Life, and writes a weekly column for the New Statesman about his experiences of ...more

48 Margaret Ewing Died at 61 (1945-2006) Margaret Anne Ewing was a Scottish teacher, journalist and politician. She served as a Scottish National Party Member of Parliament for East Dunbartonshire from 1974 to 1979 and Moray from 1987 ...more

49 Muriel Gray age 59 Muriel Gray is a Scottish author, broadcaster and journalist. She first came to public notice as an interviewer on Channel 4’s alternative pop show The Tube, and then appeared as a regular ...more

50 Neil Forsyth age 40 Neil Forsyth is a Scottish journalist, writer and author best known for creating the character of Bob Servant.