BBC NEWS REVIEWS all about London

Journalist and politician Angus Robertson, claims The BBC London news broadcasters only report on the London papers. Wheras in other nations, they report from all the varied regions. And also from across Europe. 

“The newspaper review presents different angles on the same story. He listened to all the European headlines. In Germany they report ALL the headline news from all the different regions – Bavaria, Frankfurt, Munich, Cologue, Berlin, Chemnitz. By contrast here the BBC Radio 4 morning press review, Today programme – ONLY reports on all the London based newspapers and on NO newspaper headlines from Ireland, Scotland or Wales!! Not only shocking but also shows why those in London have no clue what is going on elsewhere in the regions.

The BBC don't represent the country with their newspaper reviews
Very interesting article by former journalist Angus Robertson – “In Germany they report on news headlines from ALL the regions. Here UK they only report headlines from London and NONE from the Irish Times, Scotsman, Herald, or any Welsh or Yorkshire papers. Its no wonder those in London are totally ignorant of what is happening in the regions. (well Scotland is only a mere region to them).”  
“The news sources were from across Europe – France, Le Monde or Le Figaro; Spain El Pais or La Vanguardia; Italy Corriere della Sera or La Repubblica; Finland Helsingin Sanomat in Finland; central Europe, Der Standard or Die Presse Vienna; Poland, Gazeta Wyborcza and Rzeczpospolita…more. it was important to reflect different news sources and stories from different countries. 

“I was keen to hear details of the European Parliament elections results from different nations so I tuned into Deutschlandfunk, the German broadcaster equivalent of the BBC, with their news paper review. They included headlines and news angles from newspapers right across Germany, including both national titles and regionals - the Freie Presse, Chemnitz; Rheinische Post, Düsseldorf; Frankfurter Rundschau and Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung; Badischen Neuesten Nachrichten, Karlsruhe; Der Tagesspiegel and TAZ Tageszeitung, Berlin; Süddeutsche Zeitung, Munich; Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger, Cologne; Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung from Osnabrück and Landshuter Zeitung from Bavaria. German radio thinks it is important to reflect media coverage, journalism, news content and analysis from across the whole country. 

“Compare with the UK’s flagship radio news equivalent: BBC Radio 4 morning press review, Today programme. I listened this week, and was struck by its total imbalance, so much so that I listened again on the iPlayer to double check and get the statistics right. By my reckoning there were just more than 60 newspaper or news website mentions in the press review between Monday and Friday. ALL were from London based newspapers! Guess how many were from non-London newspapers? There were none. Zero. Zilch. According to BBC Radio there was not a single headline or report worthy of inclusion from Scottish, Welsh, Northern Irish or English regional newspapers. Not one.

https://www.thenational.scot/…/17677878.angus-robertson-bb…/

NEW BBC Scotland channel!

The Nine News team,Rebecca Curran and Martin Geissler

Launched 24th February 2019, with one of the most successful Scots band Chvrches and the song 'Miracles'.

So far a promising start – well done to all! Clearly a lot of thought has gone into the channel.

I welcome Debate Night much more enjoyable, honest and real than the QT, which brazenly tries to stir up unnecessary controversy – rather than looking for consensus and on how we can move forward. Plus a quality series on the Yes/No Referendum in 2014.

The Nine

The new flagship news program top marks too with presenters Rebecca Curran and Martin Geissler. A welcome return of political correspondent James Cook. And shows the breath of talent in Scotland, well able to present international and national news from both Scottish and international perspectives.   

CHVRCHES

There Nine News program with various correspondents in London, Brussels, and other locations. The show is projecting a relaxed format and looks promising so far. 

The schedule is mixed. I believe it's crucial Scotland has its own TV channel so I wish the new channel good fortunes. Catalonia has 4 tv channels - two news channels, an entertainment channel and a family channel.  I am concerned too that the Scottish license money is around £350m, yet only £32m is being spent on this channel. Much more is spent in Wales, England (over 100%) and Northern Ireland (75%) by comparison. Scotland (55%).   (Virgin 108)

BBC Scotland - https://www.bbc.co.uk/welcome-to-your-brand-new-television-channel-bbc-scotland

The NATIONAL newspaper

The National was begun in October 2014, after the Scottish referendum vote. We do not have a free press here.

Most of the Scottish press has been and is foreign owned (except for the Sunday Post)

We have no laws to protect Scottish businesses.

The National offers an informed conversation across the broad platform of views and from opposite ends of the spectrum of political debates. As well as some of the best journalists writing in the business today - 

 Kevin McKenna (Herald), Pat Kane (musician and journalist), Lesley Riddoch (Scotsman), Gordon McIntrye Kemp (Business for Scotland), Literature Professor Alan Raich, Paul Kavanagh (Wee Ginger Dug), Cat Boyd, Caroline Leckie, and more.

The National also has memorable front covers.

Thanks National – I enjoy your well informed, sometimes radical, thoughtful, humorous, challenging, academic, honest articles – on the economy, arts, Scottish literature (Alan Riach), politics, humour and more! That are not full of gossip, innuendo, advertising as some other newspapers are. The press still matters because it informs Broadcasting.

Many excellent letters also - one recently suggesting Scotland and England needs a new "Treaty of Union" as the 300 year one is not fit for purpose. This was always a union of convenience and not love. Scotland has been offered and voted for its Home Rule many times. During the Great war 1914, Britain has become heavily centralised.  

Although lots of Scots support our self determination (around 45%) we only have one newspaper supporting independence.

97% of Scottish broadcasting and press is controlled by the British nationalist government. The figures are stark, of TV license money only 55% raise in Scotland is spent here – by contrast 75% and 80% are spent in Wales and Northern Ireland. Its a shocking state of affairs.

“If Scotland had a media as diverse and representative as Catalonia, we’d already be independent.” Wee Ginger Dug

 All the other devolved nations have their own public broadcaster, the British state is expert at suppressing others they rule, they've had centuries of practice at it..... We have to choose now - the 'money-driven capitalist system of Westminster' OR the kind of Scotland, more compassionate and caring, we want to build from the local level upwards.

The animosity will be reduced once England understands Scotland’s resentment at the historic overlordship of its affairs by absentee landlords, American tycoons and paid servants of the Imperial war machine (…and oil money used for Trident and useless aircraft carriers)  

Excellent series this week on “THE GREAT OIL SWINDLE – by Alex Russell” in the National,

(Scottish Questions is dreadful – other MPs speak over it.  David Fluffy Mundell tells lies – one is over the tiny amount being given to Aberdeen – 2 million! )

When the truth is that Scotland’s Oil and Gas has been stolen and squandered by an incompetent Westminster.  In fact Scotland back in the 70s had as large an oil field as Norway – yet through extreme mismanagement only a half has been recovered compared to Norway.  The McCrone Report which stated Scotland would be one of the richest countries, was kept Top Secret for decades. It’s a shocking scandal.  Instead of the money going to Scotland it has gone to the multinational Oil Companies and into the UK government coffers for London infrastructure and for Trident.

“The total UK Government take from the North Sea Oil and Gas is of the order of 400 billion – but that figure is approximately a half of that obtained by Norway for similar production volumes. Logically, that might mean the take of oil companies has been disproportionately high due to Westminster mismanagement.

Now the UK government is asking tax payers to foot half of the bill to decommission the installations. They will be leaving rusting protruding legs with little red flags attached to alert fishing boats and nuclear submarines – to save these mega rich oil companies money. Never mind all this rubbish is far removed from London.