Founded in 1972, the newspaper was initially based at Kyleakin, on the isle of Skye, and continues to be published from Broadford, Skye. Its uniqueness lay in the radicalism of its political content, particularly on matters relating to the ownership of land, and its role as a local newspaper. It is credited with having exerted a strong influence over political debate in the Highlands and Islands, and - along with other concurrent initiatives such as the 7.84 production, "The Cheviot, the Stag and the Black, Black Oil" and publication of John MacEwen's book "Who Owns Scotland?" - restoring the land question to a place of prominence in Scottish politics. For his early work on the "West Highland Free Press", Wilson was made the first recipient of the Nicholas Tomalin Memorial Award. He also wrote widely for national newspapers and, in 1977–78 he was involved in "Seven Days", a political weekly in Scotland which folded after a few months.