This week’s Behind the Headlines comes from political reporter Steph Brawn. To receive the newsletter direct to your inbox every week for free, click here.
ONE of the clichés you often hear when you ask someone about their job can be “no two days are ever the same”.
When it comes to being a reporter, it’s a cliché phrase because it’s absolutely true, and this week was a perfect example of that.
This week has seen me zipping up and down the M8 covering everything from politics to sport on all sorts of platforms. If someone had been shadowing me, it would’ve given them a good sense of how versatility can really take you places as a journalist.
On Friday, I was covering the big reveal of the Scottish Tories' health plan where Douglas Ross spoke to journalists after about some of his proposals.
A wee insight into the workings of political reporting for you here – we don’t always opt to ask about the subject at hand, but use the few opportunities we get to speak to political figures about what we think are the pressing issues of the week. Especially when it’s a Friday.
READ MORE: Ex-surgeon tears into 'disastrous' Scottish Tory health plan
I chose to ask Ross about whether he thought Prime Minister Rishi Sunak should apologise for a transgender jibe he made in the Commons in the presence of the mother of Brianna Ghey – a transgender teenager who was brutally murdered last year in Cheshire.
He didn’t answer my question and went on to defend his boss. Getting non-answers to your questions can be frustrating, but we always have to be creative and sometimes, the fact they didn’t answer is a story in itself and it certainly was in this case.
I also caught his dodgy answer on video, which is part and parcel of being a journalist nowadays. We always keep a notepad in hand, but you’ll often see us thinking about how we can innovate and increase our reach as people change the way they consume news.
And now for something completely different. Earlier this week, I took my political hat off for a few hours and had a brilliant time covering the official opening of the £4.5 million Indoor Tennis Centre at Oriam in Edinburgh.
The place is just phenomenal and it was uplifting to see youngsters able to hone their skills without having to worry about the lousy Scottish weather. Scotland has produced multiple Grand Slam champions in Andy and Jamie Murray and Gordon Reid and it’s amazing to finally see their legacy being built upon.
You also may have seen me chatting all things Six Nations with the team at Scotland Rugby News – Newsquest’s new website bringing you all the latest around Scottish Rugby. We are doing livestreams every week throughout the tournament so catch one if you can.
Thinking about it, my week wasn’t unlike that Wales v Scotland match in Cardiff; very much a game of two halves.
Finally, this week we also produced a fun video showing off some of the hard work done by our team, while also responding to some of our most prolific haters. You can watch it here.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here