Two weeks ago I commented upon the BBC’s coverage of Scottish politics and dissatisfaction amongst Scottish viewers. Two days ago, Alex Salmond announced a commission to look into Scottish broadcasting.
There are both general and partisan reasons for setting up such a commission. On a partisan level, the BBC’s coverage of Scottish politics seems to be rather dismissive towards the SNP. BBC news editors are unlikely to consciously change coverage in reaction to this news - indeed, they’re more likely to see this as an affront. But, on some level, the establishment of the commission may cause editors to tread more carefully, and think twice about sloppy reporting of poll results.
On a more general level, levels of dissatisfaction with the BBC are higher in Scotland than in most other parts of the country. This satisfaction is probably rooted in the perception that the BBC is full of middle / upper class Southern Englanders who produce programmes for others like them. That is, it’s predominantly a cultural complaint.
That’s why the BBC’s response - which emphasises the new development at Pacific Quay - is rather uninspiring, answering cultural concerns with cost-benefit calculations.
We’ll know more when the full membership and terms of reference of the committee are announced. But the announcement is a lesson that minority governments can still crack the whip hand.
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