THE BBC is changing its coverage of the Scottish Government’s coronavirus briefings in the run-up to the Holyrood election.
The updates will see opposition parties invited to contribute to coverage, while the broadcaster will also consider the significance of public health information to be discussed at the briefing before deciding if it should be aired on its BBC One channel.
Last year, the corporation said it would only broadcast the briefings based on their “editorial merit” before U-turning days later.
As the Scottish Parliament election approaches, it is understood the briefings will be shown on BBC Scotland and the BBC News channel – but only on BBC One Scotland if “major new information” is expected.
The BBC’s changes come after opposition parties complained that the First Minister’s briefings would provide her with an unfair advantage before May.
The BBC One Scotland coverage of the updates already features post-announcement interviews with health experts and politicians, including the likes of Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross.
Ross has said continuing the briefings would be “shameful” and have “deeply damaging consequences for democracy in Scotland”.
READ MORE: FMQs: Nicola Sturgeon calls out Jackie Baillie for trying to stop BBC briefings
This week the First Minister indicated she would not appear at all the briefings ahead of the May vote, but would be present for “big decisions”.
She said she had a “duty to communicate to the public what they are”.
The likes of deputy first minister John Swinney and Health Secretary Jeane Freeman often fill in for Nicola Sturgeon on Fridays, while there are generally no briefings on Tuesdays and Thursdays due to parliamentary business.
A spokesperson for the BBC said: "Our aim is to ensure that our commitment to providing key public health information to our audiences continues to be fulfilled.
“In all cases, our editorial decisions will be based on two considerations: the significance of the public health information to be discussed at the briefing, and the requirement for the BBC to exercise due impartiality during the election period."
READ MORE: Ofcom throws out bias complaints about Nicola Sturgeon's Covid briefings
This week Ofcom threw out bias complaints against the briefings.
The regulator examined 16 hours of broadcasts aired between September and December last year, after complainers alleged the BBC was giving an unfair platform to the SNP.
However, the body concluded there were no issues which warranted an official investigation under the Broadcasting Code.
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