Riddoch wrong to claim BBC fails to report pro-scottish independence marches

A few days ago russian human rights activists used an event at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe to attack Alex Salmond for taking money from Russia Today – Vladimir Putin’s propaganda TV channel.

They said: “I think it’s awful… All the Russian propaganda TV channels are not working to provide information, but to provide hatred.”

Rather than echo these views and help a former First Minister of Scotland be less of a national embarrassment, Lesley Riddoch used her column in the Scotsman (Perspective, 13 August) to attack the BBC for apparent- ly not reporting recent proindependence marches. Of course, this is “Fake News” from Riddoch.

A quick search finds that the BBC did report these events with headlines like “Independence supporters stage Glasgow march” and “Thousands take part in Scottish independence march in Inverness”.

Bizarrely, Riddoch also spends a good deal of her article defending the pro-snp Government blogger Stuart Campbell aka Wings Over Scotland.

This is a man who makes a lucrative income out of using the worst kind of language to attack those who dare to question the SNP.

Lesley Riddoch’s article shows us only one thing – hardcore nationalists in Scotland aim to move the public away from trusted news sources like the BBC and on to so called “alternative” media like Campbell and social media. In that domain, people like Putin thrive as they can control content to deliver their agenda.

Of course, the BBC News is not perfect but when looked at as a whole it does a pretty good job. That simple fact is why hardcore Nationalists don’t like it. They’d rather Scotland was a place where the media only reports good news about the SNP Government.

The problem is that this attitude results in the kind of news output people enjoy in Russia where, ironically, many turn to the BBC for their news.

(CLLR) SCOTT ARTHUR Buckstone Gardens, Edinburgh

The All Under One Banner marches are organised by grassroots supporters of selfgovernment, not by the SNP as claimed by Dennis Grattan (Letters, 13 August) or by any other political party. Likewise, the BBC protests referred to by Lesley Riddoch in her must-read article, although I can well understand the SNP’S frustration when 90 per cent of the print media is anti-independence and Uk-wide news and current affairs TV programmes fail to understand devolution or treat Scottish self-government on the same basis as Brexit by ensuring equal balance across all programmes.

Those protesting at the BBC or marching would be better employed knocking on doors and engaging with former No voters on the merits of selfgovernment whereby decisions are democratically made here in Scotland.

After 11 years in office the SNP remains well ahead in opinion polls under First Minister Nicola Sturgeon’s leadership as unlike Brian Monteith (Perspective, 13 August) or television news coverage, most people judge their government compared to the alternatives on offer, or their predecessors’ record or the neighbouring governments’ performance, and on all three comparisons the SNP has passed its Eleven Plus exam.

MARY THOMAS Watson Crescent, Edinburgh