IN yesterday’s edition of The National, our regular columnist Lesley Riddoch was highly critical of BBC Scotland’s coverage of Mhairi Black’s maiden speech. BBC Scotland were, Riddoch said, “out of kilter with everyone”.
The patronising and embarrassing package saw Jackie Bird talking over Black and then broadcasting in full the deputy Speaker’s admonishment of the
SNP MPs for clapping.
It was cringeworthy.
Their report might have included some of the praise of Black’s speech – there was a lot of it. It could have included some of the criticism of Black’s speech – there was some of that too.
But at the very least it should have included some of the content of a speech, which media organisations all over the world had decided was newsworthy ... and not because people clapped at the end of it.
By lunchtime yesterday, Riddoch’s column became the most shared story on our website in the short, but glorious, history of The National. Thousands and thousands and thousands had read and shared.
It just about went viral, although not as viral as Mhairi Black’s speech which, we believe, is now on around ten million views.
It showed the strength of feeling people in Scotland have about their national broadcaster. A recent poll from the BBC’s own audience council, reported in Wednesday’s paper, suggested more than half of Scottish viewers did not think BBC Scotland did a good job of reflecting the country.
It’s not enough for the BBC to simply say those viewers are wrong. The issues raised by the Audience Council need serious examination.
Devolving broadcasting to the Scottish Parliament would certainly help the corporation address those issues.
It has to be said, however, that the aim of that devolution should not be to pressurise the BBC to toe a party – any party – line, or to blunt its ability to rigorously question the government of the day.
The relationship between government and the national broadcaster will be and always should be arm’s length.
But while the BBC has a responsibility to hold the government to account it has another responsibility: to give due weight to views held by a significant numbers of its viewers.
We have seen how hard it has been for BBC Scotland staff to do so when ultimate decisions are in the hands of people whose knowledge of the political landscape in Scotland is shallow.
The resistance within the BBC to put its own Scottish staff in charge of a main 6pm news programme is a case in point.
The result is a programme which often repeats items from the preceding national broadcast and is entirely stripped of the opportunity to present international news from a Scottish perspective.
Such criticism of BBC management should not blind us to the facts that in many respects it provides an outstanding service.
At its best, it beats just about every other broadcaster in the world.
We should be wary of Tory criticisms of the very ethos of the BBC.
The Conservatives are no supporters of public service broadcasting. They would rather it was sold off in its entirety.
Then the Reithian principles of educating, informing and entertaining would be replaced with a remit of doing little to upset any potential advertiser.
The point of devolving broadcasting is not to give the SNP – or any other government – an easier ride.
It is to free talented journalists from unnecessary shackles and help them to do the job we deserve.
Fresh calls for broadcasting devolution after criticism of BBC Scotland
Letters July 17: BBC failure on Black’s speech is no surprise
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