SNP warned against ‘interfering’ in new Scottish Nine bulletin

0 The BBC’S proposed Scottish news hour must be protected from interference, warned Tavish Scott The Scottish Government has been urged against interfering in the “editorial independence” of BBC Scotland’s new “Scottish Nine” news bulletin being launched next year.

Former Liberal Democrat leader Tavish Scott told MSPS yesterday that journalism is “under threat” and journalists on the new programme must be allowed to operate without the threat of wider “abuse”.

Culture secretary Fiona Hyslop said the new channel’s editorial independence is “critical” during a Holyrood debate on the issue yesterday.

BBC director-general Lord Hall last week unveiled plans for a new BBC Scottish channel with £20 million of fresh investment. An hour-long Scottish news bulletin starting at 9pm is to be at the heart of its programming.

Mr Scott seized on earlier comments from Mrs Hyslop in Parliament yesterday that she expects the new Scottish Nine bulletin “to deliver”.

Mr Scott said: “I also want to make sure that the programme and public-sector broadcasters more generally can deliver without any government interference whether from Edinburgh or indeed from London – with less politicians phoning up to complain, with less social media abuse of journalists.

“If we could move forward in a new spirit of what was announced by Lord Hall last week that would be to the benefit of news journalists in this country and at large.”

The ban on some media outlets from the White House by the new US president Donald Trump over the nature of their coverage should serve as a warning, Mr Scott added.

“Journalism is under threat in that sense and it’s important to recognise the importance of editorial independence and to work darn hard on making sure that that happens.”

Former SNP leader Alex Salmond accused the BBC of “institutional bias” against Scottish independence over its coverage of the 2014 referendum. The corporation also saw protests staged by Nationalist campaigners outside its Glasgow headquarters during the campaign.

Mrs Hyslop welcomed the new channel, but said it followed long-standing calls from the SNP stretching back to its own broadcasting commission a decade ago.

She also pointed to Lord Hall’s statement that the new channel would be “wholly the entity” of BBC Scotland.

“It’s critical that this channel has commissioning and editorial independence and that it is properly resourced,” the cabinet secretary added.