GLASGOW, 22 July (RIA Novosti), Mark Hirst – A professor of media studies at the West of Scotland University has called for a public inquiry into the coverage of the Scottish independence campaign by the BBC.
“Regardless of the outcome of the referendum, there should be a full public inquiry into the performance of BBC Scotland; not just into referendum coverage but also into the lack of investment of license fee income into Scottish productions and decision making generally,” Professor John Robertson told RIA Novosti.
Robertson’s comments followed the publication of a report by the Audience Council Scotland, which acts as an advisory body to the BBC, raising a series of questions over the state broadcaster’s coverage of Scottish current affairs.
Robertson, who has already published his own research, showing widespread pro-union bias in reporting by the BBC, told RIA Novosti, “There is now so much evidence of dissatisfaction with BBC Scotland News and Current Affairs amongst members of National Union of Journalist, their own staff and now very widely across audience groups.”
Robertson pointed to the presence of prominent Labor party activists holding senior management positions within the news department.
“There needs to be the removal of New Labor party penetration to the institution, which may be followed by the consequent disrespect of the elected government in Scotland and more general damage to democracy here,” he added.
In its most recent report the Audience Council Scotland stated that important Scottish stories, “continue to be underexposed on network news, and that there continued to be insufficient clarity on which UK government announcements were relevant to the devolved nations".
The Audience Council report accuses the BBC of failing to improve its news coverage of Scotland over the past 15 years since it is “not able to fully reflect the needs of audiences in contemporary Scotland.”
There have already been two major anti-bias protests outside BBC Scotland headquarters in Glasgow and another one planned for the end of this month. Local protests have also taken place at BBC news stations around the country.
“Two thousand people turned up to protest outside Pacific Quay last month and there are local protests upcoming,” Robertson told RIA Novosti. “This was unimaginable only a few years ago.”
Scots will go to the polls on 18 September of this year. They will be asked only one question, “Should Scotland become an independent country?"
