When David Scott discovered his father was not who he thought he was, it was much more than the discovery of a family secret. It was an eye-opening revelation that explained the drive behind his rise to newspaper and political prominence. The tough upbringing, the disciplines of school and church life and the tears of a lonely child set the scene for a life-long adventure which started on his local newspaper when he was 17 and saw him rise to edit his first newspaper ten years later. This story covers the 'golden years' for local newspapers when advertising revenues and circulations boomed and many monopolistic titles were the next best thing to a licence for printing money. It didn't last. He has observed the sad decline of an industry he cares about and outlines some of the mistakes which he believes will result in the death of many regional newspapers.