IF, prior to an interview with the PM, Niall Paterson had been heard by Johnson saying he was going to give him a good kicking, he would have been sacked. Therein lies the rot that exists in broadcasting newsrooms across the country when just such a promise was overheard before interviewing the parliamentary leader of the third-largest political party in the UK.
What is it about Scottish journalists in broadcasting? Maybe they have to parade their Unionist credentials before they are assured of a job, who knows? What we do know from past experiences are the constitutional views of Andrew Neil and Andrew Marr, the latter who famously wouldn’t allow Alex Salmond to answer any questions in a rowdy, bad-tempered interrogation full of interruptions prior to the 2014 Scottish referendum.
READ MORE: Ian Blackford calls out Sky News presenter for vowing to give him 'a kicking'
As for Andrew Neil, his undisguised hostility towards anything thing that doesn’t have a Union Jack on it will have a big enough platform for his ego on the new right wing channel GB News. The name says it all. In reality, pro-Union journalists working for broadcasters wear their badges of hostility towards duly elected SNP politicians as a sign of loyalty to their employers. This can only end when we are independent.
Mike Herd
Highland
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