LIKE many of you reading this Column I became increasingly upset with media coverage of Scotland. It was, and remains, biased, inaccurate and often false. This sickness has now spread to media coverage across the UK. It is often as poor as it is passive.
Here is an example of the result of a supine British mass media. In the last few days, Boris Johnson has said the following about the most recent scandal – the so-called blackmail of Tory MPs: It did not happen. It did happen, but the Prime Minister knew nothing about it. The Prime Minister knew about it, but it wasn’t “technically blackmail”. It was blackmail, but the Prime Minister wasn’t told that blackmail was against the law.
And he gave much the same responses to the drunken parties that took place at Number 10. (Now known as Downing Ten street.)
But and it’s a big but; he is still there. Now, I know many will point to the gross failings of the so-called British constitution that enables a flagrant liar to run the country. However, until recently, he was given free rein by much of the British media. The denouncements have begun but for many these are too late and too short-lived.
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Yet, many Scottish papers and the BBC in Scotland consistently produce material asserting there is a moral equivalence between the Westminster and Holyrood administrations. Of course, the Scottish parliament and the Scottish Government have their flaws, but to suggest that these failings even begin to compare with gross levels of Westminster maladministration is ludicrous.
Now there is one reaction to this sort of reporting. Close one’s eyes and cover one’s ears. However, that only takes you so far. How do you find out what’s really happening? And how can you express your concerns?
Faced with this dilemma, I leapt at the chance to join the new media. When Kevin Gibney of IndyLive suggested that we produce a new show, he was pushing against an open door.
We started the TNT show. The Nation Talks broadcast aims to have high quality guests while giving them a full hour to get their points across. No sound bites. We reckoned if someone expert had something to say, they deserved the time to say it. Also, we decided the TNT show needed to be live. No recorded interviews that might be subject to editing afterwards. What you see is what you get.
We also wanted to make the show interactive. So, we take your questions – on air. It’s not only live; it’s free. No licence? No problem.
In the 88 TNT shows we have done to date, our guests have included the renowned philosopher A C Grayling; Hollywood star Brian Cox; Dr Phillipa Whitford MP; eminent science writer Marcus Chown; Ruth Watson from Scotland the Brand; as well as Times journalists Hugo Rifkind and Kenny Farquharson.
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As you can see, we range across many fields and across the political spectrum. With some notable exceptions, almost everyone who was approached has agreed to appear on the show. The few exceptions include the usual suspects, such as the BBC. I suppose this is not unexpected. For a media organisation, the BBC recoils from justifying its conduct; all the while suckling at the public teat.
Now, I don’t want to mislead anyone who would like to set up their own show. It is not always very easy to produce the TNT show. The BBC has a multi million-pound budget in Scotland. (Don’t get me started on value for money.) By contrast, we rely on crowdfunding.
Even though we are lean, we are not mean. We seek those whose voices are important yet get little or no airtime. Our guests have discussed subjects as diverse as Witches in Scotland; Starting school at six as well as that hardy perennial the Future of the UK.
Are we successful? Depends on how you measure success. Each show attracts numerous live questions; we have a growing list of folks lined up for future shows; and social media coverage is burgeoning. We’d love to add further measures, but these will need to wait until funds are available. That said, it has been claimed that some TNT shows have attracted a bigger audience than the well-funded Nine show on BBC Scotland.
Every TNT show is available on YouTube, so you can check out past broadcasts at your leisure. All of this from a standing start, with great guests and a superb IndyLive team. They fully deserve your support. Go to the IndyLive Crowdfunder and show your support for a diverse media in Scotland.
For all our sakes, do it now.
Want to know what really happened in Scottish History? Jenny Eeles is Wednesday’s guest on the TNT show. Join us live at 7pm
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