In the latest entry by The Drum's anonymous blogger, revealing news from within Scotland's media it wouldn't want you to hear, His Nibs brings news of contrasting fortunes for two major newspaper groups.

Good news and bad news on the money front this week.

On the plus side, pay negotiations at The Scotsman are continuing with few hitches. Talks between the NUJ and management have been put back for another few days but I'm led to believe both sides are confident a pay rise will be agreed soon.

Sadly, the news from the west is not so encouraging.

When major editorial job losses were announced at the Daily Record and Sunday Mail earlier this year there was a hint that there could be more money available for freelance contributions and casual shifts. And for a while it appeared to be so.

But now comes the bombshell news that management want an annual cut of over £500,000 in editorial running costs. This will mean less cash for stories, tip-offs, freelance photos and shifts.

Meanwhile, Mark Hirst finally got his five minutes worth of fame last weekend, with two major articles in The Sunday Times and Sunday Herald describing some allegations he made against his former employer, Christine Grahame MSP. Some people reckon Mr Hirst, who was sacked by Ms Grahame for gross misconduct, is just an embittered ex-employee with an axe to grind.

That might be true, except for one small detail. He made the allegations prior to being dismissed.