AFTER we revealed the Scottish Tories met with BBC bosses to moan about “pro-Nat” coverage, The Jouker decided to take a look into what they might have raised.
But we came up a little short – for reasons you might be able to deduce yourselves.
So we’ve compiled a list of BBC blunders Tory apparatchiks probably didn’t bring up with Aunty workers at their meeting last week.
Listener who reported Ruth Davidson BBC interview tears down slow process
National reader John Parker took the BBC to task for breaking impartiality guidelines – and won, with our help – for an interview with Ruth Davidson, over comments the former Tory leader made about the trial of Alex Salmond.
Broadcast regulator Ofcom agreed with Parker that the clip, which saw Davidson raise questions about whether Scotland’s democratic institutions were corrupt without any counter from BBC radio journalists, was biased and not up to standard.
Pressure mounts on BBC after Brexit reference 'edited out' of food shortage clip
The BBC was accused early last year of editing out a reference to the impact of Brexit on Scottish agriculture.
Eagle-eyed viewers noted that while an online write-up of an interview with the famers’ union leader in Scotland included a mention of Brexit – it was conspicuously absent from the broadcast version of the report.
Former Labour spin doctor Alastair Campbell described the apparent edit as “incredible”.
BBC accused of 'making excuses' for Truss with framing of anti-Sturgeon insult
A jaw-dropper comment from Tory leadership hopeful Liz Truss saw the future prime minister (now former) call Nicola Sturgeon an “attention seeker” who should be ignored.
It was widely condemned across the political spectrum – but the BBC repeatedly framed the insult as being only offensive to Scottish nationalists.
We told how even former Tory MSP Mary Scanlon thought it was beyond the pale – yet BBC presenters continually referred to the insult as having upset independence supporters.
BBC issues bizarre response over its dodgy SNP infographic
At the EU elections in 2019, the BBC was caught slacking on the accuracy of its graphics after a bar graph showing the results seriously downplayed the success of the SNP that year.
The party’s deputy head Keith Brown fumed: “The BBC needs to get their act together and reflect a true picture of events.”
In response, the broadcaster said it was only intended to be a “rough” illustration of the results.
BBC panned for playing same Paul Gascoigne England vs Scotland goal on a loop
It was famously Gordon Brown’s “most memorable” goal – but to most Scots Gazza’s 1996 screamer against Scotland something they’d rather forget. Not if BBC bosses have anything to do with it.
During the St George-madness of the 2020 Euros (which actually took place in 2021), the clip was rerun ad nauseam by the BBC – to the dismay of millions of Scots (except one…)
Marr Show analysis of National's front page sums up UK media's Euros problem
Former BBC presenter Susanna Reid took on our legendary Euros final front page (beloved by Roberto Mancini) during a paper review segment on Andrew Marr’s show the day of the big match.
She claimed we were “playing into this idea that Scotland fans don’t want England to win the Euros”. Yeah, because we came up with that one…
BBC's Sarah Smith claims FM 'enjoys' making decisions on Covid-19
The FM hit back at then-Scotland editor Sarah Smith’s claims she was “enjoying” making Covid decisions because it allowed her to be different to England.
The BBC presenter, now working across the pond, said during a 2020 report before lockdown restrictions were eased: “It has been obvious that Nicola Sturgeon has enjoyed the opportunity to set her own lockdown rules.”
Sturgeon hit back at the assertion, which other critics described as baseless editorialising, saying she had never “enjoyed anything less than this”.
