BBC Scotland – Making up the news
GA Ponsonby (23 July 2016)
I came across the ‘Trams Inquiry’ story early on Thursday when I tuned into Good Morning Scotland. The item featured prominently in the opening bulletins and was repeated throughout the programme. The thrust of what was being reported was that the inquiry into the Edinburgh Trams fiasco had thus far cost £3.7m.
My immediate thought was so what? Everything costs money and an inquiry that had already taken two years was bound to have cost something. The trams eventually cost the taxpayer over £3/4 billion – over £375m over budget – and produced less than promised. When you’re investigating one of the biggest infrastructure scandals Scotland has ever known then you want to make sure you do a thorough job.
BBC Scotland however wasn’t just informing the public of the cost of the inquiry. The broadcaster was presenting the report as though the inquiry itself was out of control and grossly over budget.
FULL ARTICLE
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London Calling: How the BBC stole the Referendum by G.A.Ponsonby is a major must-read exposé of BBC Scotland's political news manipulation, chronicling the highly influential broadcaster's output with respect to coverage of Scottish politics and the 2014 independence referendum. This book now forms the basis of a forthcoming documentary.
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