BBC editor’s TWITTER clarification after ‘attack’ on Sturgeon in TELEVISION report. Where’s the TV apology?
Nicola Sturgeon: “Never in my entire political career have I ‘enjoyed’ anything less than this.”
Sarah Smith should not be allowed to get away with a mere attempt at clarification of this on Twitter alone, where her words will be seen by a tiny few, compared with those who saw her report.
Scottish viewers of BBC news were left fuming after Ms Smith gave a report in which she clearly stated that First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was “enjoying” setting her own rules for the Covid-19 lockdown. Ms Sturgeon denied the claim:
Never in my entire political career have I ‘enjoyed’ anything less than this. My heart breaks every day for all those who have lost loved ones to this virus. https://t.co/hhGvCOOw05
— Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) May 19, 2020
Responses on Twitter have been uniformly along these lines:
https://twitter.com/PoliticsScot/status/1262530815633821696
Sarah Smith wasn't reporting anything,but a clear personal attack on the FM absolutely a bloody disgrace. Only England went a different path from the rest of the UK,and top people believe England has lifted lockdown far too early.
— 🏴 The Scotsman 🏴 (@dmartin20081) May 19, 2020
I have always trusted Sarah Smith to report fairly, but her attack on Nicola Sturgeon was a terrible blunder. It's not enough to apologise to Sturgeon, she must be given airtime to publicly withdraw her comment and apologise for misleading viewers
— Geoffrey Booth (@geoffbooth44) May 19, 2020
Ms Smith has tweeted a claim that she meant Ms Sturgeon was “embracing” the opportunity to make law on Covid-19 – and has received equally short shrift from the object of her comment:
I’ve made clear my view on this report. I’m not ‘enjoying’ or ‘embracing’ an ‘opportunity’. I’m just doing what I judge best in very difficult circumstances. That said, I understand the scrutiny that comes with it and accept Sarah’s clarification. For me, the matter is closed. https://t.co/AhJEd2Lcn3
— Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) May 19, 2020
It isn’t an apology, is it?
That’s why I’m saying Ms Smith should return to Scottish screens and broadcast a full and frank apology for this astonishing piece of editorialising.
It was never her place to suggest that Ms Sturgeon was enjoying an inappropriate emotional response to the responsibility of setting policy on what is a life-and-death matter for millions of people.
And it seems clear that, for allowing this, the BBC as a whole must change its ways (and explain how it will achieve this).
Snowflakes. Ms Sturgeon could have referred to it, refuted it and left it. Why give the BBC the publicity?
This was a politically-biased attack on a non-Tory politician by a BBC journalist who should have been impartial. It deserved to be highlighted, otherwise the BBC would have got away with influencing millions of people in a highly partisan manner that is entirely inappropriate for any news outlet – as you know perfectly well.
When did BBC give us the real news all we get is
Their view and it’s getting worse
Sarah Smith is an embarrassment to Scotland. She is so filled with hatred of the SNP, for annihilating Labour’s hold on Scotland, that this comment is actually pretty mild compared to her usual. Under the circumstances, her father must be thrashing in his grave.
Really? You say she’s LABOUR? Wow. That’s a rarity in BBC News. Evidence?