Mr Smith was interested to read that "Close relations between journalists and politicians are not necessarily in the interests of the wider public, a former newspaper editor will argue in a free public lecture later this week. Opening the prestigious Stevenson and Adam Smith Research Foundation lecture series, sponsored by The Herald, former editor of the the paper Harry Reid will speak about what he describes as the "irreconcilable conflict" between journalists and the public."
Mr Smith has come sympathy with this viewpoint, but would question how many of Scotland's journalists would necessarily agree with Mr Reid. A bigger issue is the fact that in this age of declining advertising revenues for the publishing press, and therefore the growing importance of Scottish Government advertising expenditure, it is becoming increasingly difficult for the press and media to be as questioning of government as they should be.
Can anyone imagine Scottish journalists having the energy and determination to pursue a Watergate type scandal if it happened in Scotland? Time for journalists to take stock?
