THE SNP have provided an update on their research and rebuttal unit, as only two articles have been published on this section of the party’s website.
Last year, we told of concerns from members as the unit seemingly failed to initially materialise two weeks after it was due to launch in October 2023.
It was originally Humza Yousaf who pledged to set up the service to tackle “disinformation and opposition attacks” during his bid for the SNP leadership.
Currently, on a section of the SNP’s website titled “research and rebuttal unit,” there are two articles – both published in November 2023.
The first from Emma Harper focuses on the “how the SNP is delivering for our NHS” while the second, from Jim Fairlie, looks into “how Scotland can create a fairer and more welcoming immigration system” with the powers of independence.
However, the SNP have pointed out that while some of the rebuttals and research is available in the public domain, some is also shared through private correspondence which is then intended to be shared separately.
The party also added that the unit was well received by members, campaigners and candidates during the General Election.
In a statement given to The National, the SNP said: “The Research and Rebuttal Unit is up and running – some of their material’s published on our website and promoted through our social media channels.
“So for example the Yes site has been updated with a Q&A to help members answer questions and rebut opposition attacks.”
The Q&A section in question features a number of chapters, including on such topics as “why independence works” and “the democratic argument”.
However, on the “news” section of the Yes website, there has only been one article published this year.
Written by Keith Brown (below), it’s titled: “Energy CEO: Scotland’s electricity could be cheapest in Europe.”
In 2023, there were 14 pieces published on the same section of the website.
The SNP did further point out however that not all of the content which is put on the website is branded as coming directly from the "research and rebuttal" unit and explained that the distinction between the unit and the press team may not always be entirely clear as the two work closely together.
The statement added: “Our press officers are frequently in touch with the media to point out facts and figures to them and to put issues in context.
“They also feed party output to the media in general which you can find on the SNP website under: SNP – news – these go directly out to elected reps too to share further with our activists and members.
“There’s also the new WhatsApp channel which flags new material to its followers.”
The “news” section of the SNP website has far more content available – with numerous articles posted throughout every month.
The SNP further explained that the rebuttal unit is designed to “identify emerging issues or opposition attacks, compile suitable material for responses” and then distribute these to elected representatives to either “rebut on social media or to pass on to others”.
However, the statement continued: “Although it’s worth noting there are times when engaging with hostile articles can be counterproductive as it risks promoting it to a wider audience – known as the Streisand effect.
“Academic studies show that retweeting or sharing a Facebook post from something people oppose can actually have the opposite effect and end up promoting what the original poster wants people to see and read.
“Similarly, we also guard against being drawn into public spats on topics of the oppositions’ choosing which end up promoting their agenda to a wider audience.
“Instead we might opt in response to highlight our own positive case for independence over the other channels mentioned above.”
The statement continued to say that “we recognise people’s frustration” but that “our strength as a party and movement is our members and their support and activity is crucial to getting our message out”.
Finally, it added: “There have, for example, been a number of elections where we have prevailed handsomely with only one newspaper endorsement.
“As digital media becomes more dominant the traditional forms become less influential. For example, a single tweet can be viewed by far more people than a newspaper sells.
“So, we can take heart from the fact that in today’s digital media environment there are the means to get our message out to a large number of people.
“For that, we are thankful and indebted to those who do this work, which is why the research and rebuttal unit exists to support them with online material.
“Contacting them can be done through the main SNP headquarters email.”
