15.09.14
Is the BBC biased against Scottish independence?
The referendum on Scottish independence is almost here: in just three days’ time, people living in Scotland will start casting votes and we will find out whether or not we shall stay a ‘United Kingdom’.
Now in the home stretch, both campaigns are slinging accusations at the other as they try to find an edge in the race. The most recent target for Alex Salmond has been the BBC, with claims in a weekend interview that the corporation is “unconsciously biased” in favour of the union. This comes after a press conference on Thursday in which he accused the BBC’s political editor of “heckling” him.
When asked if the BBC’s coverage of the referendum was biased, he told the Sunday Herald: “Yes, absolutely. Of course it is. The problem with Nick [Robinson]…I mean, don’t get me wrong, I like these folk, but they don’t realise they’re biased. It’s the unconscious bias which is the most extraordinary thing of all.
“If the BBC were covering, in my estimation, any referendum, in any democracy, anywhere in the world, they would cover it impeccably, in a balanced fashion. What they don’t understand is they’re players in this.”
Meanwhile, the Queen has finally broken her silence on the referendum saying she thinks Scots should think “very carefully about the future” before casting a vote.
It may be hard to believe, but there are still a significant minority of Scots who say they are undecided. With turnout expected to be sky-high, they have just a few days left to make the most important political decision of their lives.
(Image: YES campaigners demonstrate outside the BBC building in Glasgow. c. Andrew Milligan/PA Wire)