Anonymous
Douglas Fraser, the BBC’s economy & Business Editor, brands The National’s output as propaganda on the BBC’s Media show.
He stated “It’s 10 years since the independence referendum and that anniversary is up next month. It’s not so clear that the big issues, like independence, have been as important to selling newspapers and indeed subscriptions for news publishers. One title with a strong propaganda approach to supporting independence, The National, a sister paper of The Herald based in Glasgow, makes some waves politically through it’s propaganda. But it doesn’t suggest there’s much to be gained commercially from taking sides in that debate. It’s in London I think where editors may think that there’s less interest to be found in Scotland with the SNP on the backfoot. They’re wrong of course”.
Where do we even start ?
I assume Douglas Fraser is aware that the majority of other newspapers that distribute within Scotland see it as a “big issue” to promote only the UK in their newspapers while attacking independence and any political parties supportive of it.
That he, Fraser, should have the audacity as one employed by the BBC, to label any other media as having a “strong propaganda approach” is then tempting (many) others to ridicule and also lambast him considering what we witness every day via their, BBC’s, TV, Radio and website’s pro UK and anti independence output pre and post 2014 that they, the BBC unleash here in Scotland.
The BBC are considered to be, or rather are renowned for being, an anti independence and pro the UK media outfit and that fact is reflected in much of their broadcasting and website contents. So Douglas Fraser is kidding no one, including himself, in pretending that there is no propaganda via his own employer.
Note that he, Fraser, mentions in his comment the sister paper of The National , as in The Herald, but he fails to note their, The Herald’s, particular allegiance to the UK and thus their anti independence “propaganda” that we read in their headlines and too within the content of their newspaper.
So in him omitting that fact about The Herald, then Douglas Fraser is himself participating in contributing his own brand of BBC propaganda in him (deliberately) neglecting to mention a relevant point he should have attributed to them.
(This is something the BBC are expert at. In them failing to note those who are opposed to independence and why. The reason being they support the UK remaining intact).
He states that “London Editors” are “less interested in Scotland with the SNP on the ‘backfoot’” but he fails to note that many of these same English publications that these “London Editors” work for also publish and distribute their supposed ‘Scottish’ editions here .
Where in these ‘Scottish’ editions they are very much only interested (obsessed) with Scotland staying within their UK and also do their best, like Douglas and his employer the BBC, to try and destroy the SNP in the hope that they can then save their UK.
Note how Douglas has only targeted a pro independence paper while giving a free rein to all of the publications who distribute their publications in Scotland who, as a media, only support the UK staying intact while simultanously being opposed to independence . (as does Douglas’s employer the BBC)
So they, as a media , only ever promote their viscous brand of pro UK propaganda and also their uber anti independence position and also their anti SNP propaganda.
Pretty much the same goes for Douglas’s employer the BBC who only promote pro UK propaganda while are active in their opposition to independence and also in their opposition to the SNP.
I suspect that Douglas Fraser in the above comment was only trolling us in declaring The National as a “propaganda” newspaper while ignoring both the Labour and Tory supporting newspapers who also , as a media, support the UK. (as does Douglas’s employer the BBC).
We will not take the bait but we can hardly let him off the hook with him uttering such a blatant “propaganda” statement that actually oozes with British Nationalist “propaganda” and exceptionalism that only the BBC , via an employee, could utter and care not of the subsequent ridicule heaped upon him that he, and his employer, knows will surely be unleashed.
Same old same old from the BBC in Scotland.
Like Labour it seems , via them the BBC, there will be no “Change”
Talking-up Scotland 
I just posted this to my FB page. I only commented “So much for the impartiality of the BBC” Immediately I got a message “We removed your post. See why.” It then said I tried to get likes, shares or video views in a misleading way. Following that, threats of further account restrictions for any further breaches of community standards!
LikeLiked by 3 people
mine was taken down in less than two minutes. Has Mr Zuckerberg become a British nationalist? Has the BBC complained about this article for it to be removed so quickly? No freedom of speech on FB, no debate allowed on British MSM bias in Scotland?
Maybe every single Scottish Indy supporter around the world should switch off all social media for a week in protest. A week is a long time so not likely to happen. But it should. Maybe choose random days over a month.
When it comes to rich folks’ money we really do have a lot of power.
LikeLiked by 2 people
That’s EXACTLY what Twitter/their idiotic ‘X’, did to me.
Unbelievable, disgraceful accusations, then suspended me.
I complained and they ‘allowed me back on Twitter’.
For about five minutes …
because I asked them to provide the evidence of their disgraceful, concerning accusations (similar to your own and a very long list).
They immediately suspended me again and thus I remain!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ll need to reconsider headlines for FB posting
LikeLiked by 2 people
Prof. John & “Anonymous” …. I posted this blog to my large pro-SNP/Indy site on Facebook.
Within just a couple of minutes the Facebook Police removed it as “spam”
This was quite a ridiculous decision and I’ve rightly appealed there adjudication as it “doesn’t break the rules.
The absurdity of this sort of censorship is born out by the fact this is the fourth such post about this subject I’ve posted including from The National itself and The Wee Ginger Dug who blogged on the same subject today
LikeLiked by 4 people
That he took the English cock out of his mouth long enough to say anything is the surprising thing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
In respect to the above TUS posters commentating on Facebook removing this article as they, Facebook, ( Hi Nick Clegg) deemed it spam is somewhat ironic.
As the scandal in the 2010’s where “personal data belonging to millions of Facebook users was collected without their consent by British consulting firm Cambridge Analytica which was determined was predominantly to be used for Political purposes” . (but back then this practise was not classified as ‘Spam’ by Facebook).
The data was collected through an app called “This Is Your Digital Life” the app consisted of a series of questions to build psychological profiles on users, and collected the personal data of the users’ Facebook friends via Facebook’s Open Graph platform. (But not once again, back then , did Facebook, determine this as “Spam” or indeed something that needed censored by them ,Facebook , eh that would be a NO).
The app harvested the data of up to 87 million Facebook profiles.
It was reported that Cambridge Analytica used the data to analytically assist the 2016 presidential campaigns of Ted Cruz & Donald Trump and Cambridge Analytica were also accused of interfering with the Brexit referendum.
Facebook apologized for their role in the data harvesting but they did not stop it in it’s tracks , like say Facebook stopping the above TUS posters in warning them that what they were reposting/sharing on their Facebook pages re the BBC propaganda article was being categorised , by Facebook, as being within the category of ‘Spam’ and also with accusations of them, as users of Facebook, “breaching community standards”.
The UK journalist Carole Cadwalladr highlighted Facebook’s role in Brexit in 2016 pre the EU Referendum and in 2019 Nick Clegg denied that “misuse of Facebook influenced the Brexit vote” (Well he would say that as one, who was now an employee of Facebook, and also he was a former Lib Dem politician so lying comes easy to them, think #Frenchgate Alistair Carmichael and also Nick Clegg himself promising ,pre the 2010 GE , in him saying that there would be ‘No increase in Tuition fees’ but then the 2010 coalition between the Lib Dems and the Tory party saw that Tuition fees did indeed increase).
However in 2018 it was reported that “The official Vote Leave campaign spent more than £2.7m on targeting ads at specific groups of people on Facebook – helping it to win the 2016 EU referendum“
“The ads, created by Canadian company Aggregate AIQ, often focused on specific issues – such as immigration or animal rights – thought likely to push the buttons of certain groups of people, based on their age, where they lived and other personal data taken from social media and other sources”
Then we had the recent GE where political parties used Facebook for political purposes.
One of the (many) Facebook ad’s run by the Labour party in the recent GE started running from June 28 and it said that “the party’s energy plans will save £300 off your bills” there was also ads from other political parties on Facebook pre the recent 2024 GE .
However it seemed that as political ads none ” breached their (Facebook) community standards” and how many people on Facebook shared ads and information via political parties to try to convert people to support that particular party and also were sharing negative information on their Facebook pages that was attacking another political party ,which according to Facebook is a clear breach, as it would be seen (surely) by Facebook as them, as Facebook users ” trying to get likes, shares or video views in a misleading way” ?
Why even the 2014 Scottish independence Referendum had ads on people’s Facebook pages. that were trying to influence the opinions of voters being targeted to try and sway their decisions pre the date of the vote .
I am not on Facebook but I do wonder if there was the sharing of and reposting of some articles or ads that targeted the SNP in a negative light and as such were not removed by Facebook as “Breaches” or classified by them as “Spam”?
More and more we see some parts of social media being very selective on who and what they support, allow as information to be placed , without censorship, on their platforms etc and then who and what they will not allow to promote alternate information on their platforms as they, Facebook, define it as “Spam” or a “breach of their guidelines”.
Once more Scotland and it achieving independence is considered as taboo , as is any sharing of articles it seems that exposes those , within the British establishment, who oppose it, Scottish independence, happening .
Like say employees of the BBC calling a newspaper in Scotland no more than a pro independence propaganda paper (while, for years, the BBC has been ignoring those other ‘newspapers’ who clearly support the sustaining of the UK and so have always promoted Pro UK propaganda constantly in Scotland within their ‘newspapers’ as does the BBC themselves).
Remember in 2019 it was reported “Facebook came under fire over their:
“Outrageous’ UK tax bill where Facebook’s UK arm paid £28.5m in tax in 2018 as revenues hit a record £1.65bn on the back of strong advertising growth“.
Has that now changed post 2018/2019 .
I doubt it, as money , especially in the UK, most definitely talks.
LikeLiked by 6 people
What’s wrong Douglas? Viewer and audience ratings at BBC Scotland collapsing? Afraid of looming redundancy?
Oh well never mind, with lines like yours, you would do well as a stand up at the Edinburgh Fringe.
LikeLiked by 2 people
If I may also add to this article.
Douglas Fraser perhaps (conveniently forgets) but also need to realise that with the constitutional Q in (and outwith) Scotland there are two sides.
One who supports independence and one who does not.
I am sure Douglas Fraser is more than aware that The National , as a newspaper distributed in Scotland, is the only newspaper (apart from it’s sister paper The Sunday National) that supports independence.
Guess what all of the other many newspapers (and other MSM too) distributed (and broadcast) in Scotland support ?
Clue: Not independence !
So a newspaper that supports independence in Scotland (& distributes here) hardly has a media monopoly does it ?
(Indeed to have only one newspaper, a daily & a Sunday edition, being the only MSM in the whole UK that represents over 50% plus of the population in Scotland, is both shocking and also totally unrepresentative of what many of the public support in Scotland for Scotland , as far as the constitutional Q is concerned , as in they support Scottish independence).
Indeed one could highlight who it is that really has the media monopoly that exists within the UK.
Guess who ?
That would be the pro UK side .
MSM in the UK is predominantly only reserved for them, as those who are the opposing side of the argument, who are 100% against Scottish independence and also against any political parties supportive of it, like the SNP for example.
Also that Pro UK mainstream media monopoly also extends to TV and Radio news as well within the UK , with one example being a news channel like the BBC (Douglas’s employer).
So it is most duplicitous and a tad dumb for Douglas Fraser to attempt to try and make a partisan comment on behalf of his pro UK side in relation to a sole Indy supporting newspaper within the UK , that is distributed in Scotland, to it being a supposed source and supposed example of pro Indy “propaganda media”.
Reality is that it , The National offers, as a newspaper in Scotland, an alternate opinion , alternate facts and information that other mainstream media fails to promote (refuses to report) , especially the BBC, or even mention at all in relation to Scottish politics and the constitutional Q.
However what other Pro UK mainstream media do promote is a stream of relentless propaganda aka lies about independence, mainly because they as a Pro UK mainstream media, both support the UK as it being supposedly the best option for Scotland now and in the future (proven , pre and post 2014, to be a LIE) while simultanously promoting constant propaganda to try and substantiate their lies.
This is reflected in their headlines, newspaper content, columnist’s opinions, Editors opinion, newspaper owners political preference and with much of the UK TV and Radio MSM we also know who it is who gets all of the bad political publicity promoted against them in Scotland and who escapes that same bad publicity here in Scotland.
Douglas Fraser has fooled no one in him, like his employer, concealing that he and they as his employer are often seen to indulge in political propaganda themselves in who they have on speed dial to offer a political opinion on their news programmes and who they , the BBC , also choose to demonise constantly politically (SNP and the Green party in Scotland) and who they seem to always be trying to protect (any Pro UK political party they assume may gain seats from the SNP, currently that is the Labour party but in the past it was the Tories when Ruth Davidson was their so called ‘leader’ here in Scotland)
#FailDouglasYetAgain.
LikeLiked by 2 people
‘Labour plans would cut £300 off people’s energy bills’. Labour have added £300+ on millions of people’s energy bills’. The poorest in the land.
One unionists rubbish paper was headlining the increase was because of Labour/SNP policy. An absolute lie. It was because of Labour Westminster policy. Cutting the Scottish budget without warning. Taking more monies out of Scotland. £8Billion in fuel and energy. Scotland in surplus and nearer the source pays more. No parity.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Headlines today BBC Website:
“Sir Keir Starmer is set to warn that “things will get worse” in the UK before they get better”.
Sorry what ?
So were Labour , in the GE campaign , perhaps being a tad presumptuous in them promoting to us the public ,that with them the Labour party as the next UK government, we the public, would all see a “Change”.
(From what was assumed to be a “Change” from the previous Tory UK government who imposed austerity measures upon us all. Same ones apparently that Labour are also now intending to impose upon us too).
“In a speech on Tuesday, the prime minister is likely to say there are no quick fixes to remedy what he will call the “rubble and ruin” left by the Conservatives”.
Sorry what ?
Was this UK Tory financial mess not recently disputed as being known by Labour regarding the true financial UK position (Financial Black hole) that Labour were made fully aware of pre and during the recent GE campaign .
In that the ‘rubble and ruin” left by the Tory party aka the “financial black hole” that existed was said to be something that Labour knew all about prior and during the GE campaign.
So for them, Labour & Starmer, to promote back then that Labour would implement “Change” when they had information that they knew would prevent much “Change” happening for the public in the UK. Well that is shocking.
(Indeed I recall Starmer saying many things would be done immediately, would be “done on the first day after winning the GE” and so would be “quickly” fixed he said ) was that then really more of a LIE than a presumption by him and them, Labour.
“He will also continue to argue that the last government concealed the true state of the public finances”
Sorry what ?
See above paragraphs .
This is Labour justifying why they will not be a “Change” to the previous Tory government and it is also a way that they, Labour, can , like the previous Tory government, take away from the poor while imposing a minimum, if any, damage to the more wealthy within the UK.
Poor families and pensioners are those who, at first , must pay the penalty under Labour while the wealthy whose money allows them to donate to political parties (like Labour) then sees their donations pay off, in that they do not see any financial penalty imposed upon them via the political party that they donated to (Labour party) who have now become the UK government.
“Cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden said he thought the PM would be showing “refreshing candour” with the public in the speech” – in him saying “we will get there, but it will take time”.
Sorry what ?
That is not what we the public were promised by Keir Starmer during the GE campaign when he, Starmer, pretended that he was showing “candour” in his many pledges to the public that promised “Change” (quick “Change” not “Change” over time) . Also Pat McFadden would compliment (make excuses for) Keir Starmer, as he, Starmer, is Pat McFadden’s party leader !
What say Anas Sarwar who told John Swinney to “Read my lips no austerity under Labour”
Was that also presumptuous, misleading or a blatant lie ?
I know what my guess would be.
LikeLiked by 2 people
The media is still dodging the fact that there has been a majority in England in favour of Scots being able to hold another referendum for over 5 years – Even if they’re not keen on the possibility of independence, they believe it’s about democracy, not what Douglas Fraser is selling.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Hello, I’ve just tried to share this on Facebook and had it ‘taken down’ because ‘ It looks like you tried to get likes, follows, shares or video views in a misleading way.’ Stunned. Completely stunned. Anyone else?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Speaking about Lab who remembers this about Stammer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVP6PlX_UUA
LikeLike
Hmm, interesting… Thought to see if the FB rejection depended on IP address/geographic location, but it was taken down in less than a minute…
Next I tried the “Labour Wales not Scotland…” article and it’s still up, so apologised in comment with ” Sorry if this caused any confusion, I was trying to figure out why an article about Douglas Fraser’s blatant hypocrisy over accusing the National of propaganda was taken down by FB… It isn’t the site as this one’s still up, and it’s not dictated by geography… Strange.. ” so the none of the above words are the trigger…
Indeed it may not even need a trigger and even FB are unaware of it – Israel got good at this sort of stuff,
LikeLiked by 2 people
Postscript, final test, posted the https://weegingerdug.wordpress.com/2024/08/24/bbc-scotlands-definition-of-propaganda/ article on FB, the exact same point, yet it remains up -FB appeared initially to be having a headache on logging out but after a few login/logouts the issue has disappeared.
My conclusion is that specific articles on your site are being selectively ‘censored’ via FB by third parties because you (no offence intended) have a smaller profile than WGD and are less likely to generate mass protest – The client is undoubtedly HMS James Cook, who else would seek to protect Douglas Fraser ?
LikeLiked by 1 person
The trigger could be “BBC”
LikeLike
Then the WGD article would have been similarly taken down… It wasn’t…
LikeLiked by 1 person