How the media ‘play’ Scotland’s voters

stewartb

How to ‘play’ Scotland’s voters – how to attempt deceit or manipulation for political advantage? Is there a recurring mainstream news reporting pattern in Scotland?

Step 1: mainstream media outlet/s make ‘judicious’ selection of a ‘newsworthy’ item about Scotland – to qualify, it must be a negative story and ideally linked to a topic of natural concern to many;

2: report this on newspaper front page with a ‘scary’ headline – big black font visible from metres away on a supermarket rack and visually impactful when the front page is pictured on the BBC News website’s Scotland page;

3. avoid giving context or perspective: at the very least, this must be avoided within what’s visible to read on the front page;

4. don’t be squeamish about using a headline which implies (even if wrongly) a Scotland-only ‘bad’ story, few readers will check the source document;

5. more generally, avoid comparisons with other parts of the UK UNLESS (of course) unfavourable to Scotland;

6. rely on BBC Scotland to amplify the story further, including in the BBC News website’s daily reproduction of Scotland’s newspaper front pages. Remember for its ‘newspapers in Scotland’ website feature, the BBC has the opportunity to borrow for its own headline an abbreviated version of a ‘scary’ newspaper headline;

7. get quotes from opposition party spokespersons in Holyrood – the more ‘outraged’ in tone the better. (If they supply a press statement so much the better.) Again, don’t be squeamish about amplifying views of opposition politicians whose own party in government elsewhere in the UK have presided over similar or much worse situations than is being reported – that’s called ‘perspective’ and that’s not relevant;

8. there is a high probability that BBC Scotland will latch on and publish and/or broadcast its very own version of the ‘scary’ newspaper story. BBC Scotland favours the use of heart-rending, highly personal accounts from individual members of the public (the ‘salient exemplar’ device): by coincidence, the British Labour Party leadership in Holyrood favours this as a political tactic.

Recognise the pattern – wish to add or subtract from it, or refute it?

9 thoughts on “How the media ‘play’ Scotland’s voters”

  1. Came across rules for reading scary research findings in the MSM specially “reports” from health sounding organisations just before a by-election. Apos I can’t remember original source!

    The headline doesn’t match the story.

    The story doesn’t match the institution press release.

    The press release doesn’t match the paper.

    The paper’s Abstract & Conclusion aren’t supported by the actual data🙄 …

    …and then you look at the funding sources.😱

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    1. Yep and I bet they didn’t report that Labour councillors in the constituency, where Labour took power on Thursday, voted NOT to fund community specific projects. Nice folk eh. I wonder if the BritNat media has reported that Edinburgh Labour councillors (it’s a BritNat coalition set up) have decided it’s great to have weapons companies test their stuff in public parks! I think as reported in The National.

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  2. 9. Plant 2 stories in news media with 2 versions, 1 for keeping the natives of dahn souff sweet and placated, 2 for the ‘jockland’ edition. Example, the ‘daily torygraph’ headline “Oil will keep us rich forever”, and for the jockland edition ‘indy Scotland will be too poor to pay pensions’. It is best to issue these on the same day because those with colleagues or relatives never check what is being said about them.

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  3. “…indy Scotland will be too poor to pay pensions…”

    Which they wouldn’t, as things stand, even be liable for. If anyone has their full 35 years of contributions, they’re entitled to a full state pension from the UK government. The UK government have acknowledged this.

    In the 2014 white paper it was suggested that a future Scottish government would take on pension liabilities; this isn’t 2014, there’s no reason to assume that’ll be part of a future indyref. Pension liabilities could be a negotiating point in an independence settlement; pensions could be frozen from the point of separation; all sorts of things could happen…

    …but as things stand, the UK government and the UK government is responsible, in full or in part depending on qualifying years, for pension liabilities whatever happens.

    /rant over, but it does reinforce your point.

    The lie in the headline starts from a false premise; irrespective of what facts they have tortured subsequently.

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  4. I must congratulate the BBC in particular and of course their complicit media chums in how they manipulate the news successfully duping vast numbers of Scots into believing that remaining in the Union is best for all.

    It was quite a revealing statement by Gerry Adams recently when winning his liable case against the BBC he said the BBC were against the formation of an Irish State which I guess sums up their attitude to the SNP government and the Indy movement in general.

    That said I have voiced my frustration many times now about the SNP’s attitude to the media and especially the mediocre performance of our current leader. While I am against violence I firmly believe in a far more robust almost belligerent approach both to the media and the Uk Labour Government and using a contextual responses (when apropriate) at say FM Q’s to show that Scotland compares very favourably to others on this island and beyond.

    Swinney I believe now is far too comfortable or even passive in his role as Leader and IMHO is too far removed from the frustration that those in the Party and further afield feel that we need to push the Indy agenda again more strongly. Only then will we enthuse those of us in the Indy movement.

    Robbo

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    1. I suspect the ‘vast number of people’ overstates their influence – Even in England the BBC’s credibility is shaky, without being anywhere near so obvious as Pacific Quay – BBC Scotland in particular are no longer reliant on building trust, it’s in a media mafia conducting psychological warfare – It sometimes goes badly wrong, as in the original “cancer care ‘time bomb’ ” story’ which spurred Stewart’s comment – The story was demoted rapidly, although still lurks on the Scotland Politics page.

      I don’t think Swinney is near so comfortable as you might believe, but do agree a more combative individual than John would probably do the movement a power of good – Would it compel James Cook or any of the media mafia to more honestly report on Scottish matters ? I seriously doubt it.

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  5. DIRTY ROTTEN BBC SCOTLAND

    LIARS TO THE SCOTS WHO USED TO PAY THEIR WAGES

    UNTIL THE STARTED LYING TO US SCOTS

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  6. The SNP has been winning massive victories for years. Despite the media. Support for Independence is increasing 54%. (60%).

    The SNP need an elected leader.

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  7. UK Gov wastes £Billions on HS2, Hickley Point etc. Brexit. Trident and redundant weaponry. Illegal wars, financial fraud and tax evasion.

    Pensions in Scotland are paid from revenues raised in Scotland. They could be more in an Independent Scotland. Westminster wastes £Billions of revenue. Brexit cost £Billion. Cut tax evasion, supported by Westminster Gov. Scotland raises more pro rata.

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