Rather then reflect on the weak argument the SNP put forward for Scottish independence, Nicola Sturgeon appears happier to blame the BBC for her failure to win the referendum. Indeed, avoiding responsibility for failure is not unusual for Ms Sturgeon’s government.
From my perspective the BBC’s desire to offer balanced content was often what caused problems. All too often the opinion of world leading experts who questioned the SNP’s assertions were balanced with opinion from nationalists who lacked credibility, but had an abundance of partial statistics. However, the BBC presented these people as equivalents, viewers and listeners were left to decide who was right.
For example, the SNP’s Business for Scotland was presented as representing 200 Scottish businesses and was routinely used to counter the judgment of multinational employers and economic experts that dared to question the SNP’s independence proposals. No mention was made of the fact that Business for Scotland largely comprised sole traders with no cross-border business.
So Yes, the BBC did get individual reports wrong. However, if Ms Sturgeon has any credible evidence that such errors predominantly favoured Better Together she should share it.
Dr Scott Arthur 