BBC claims Scottish independence campaign coverage 'rigorously impartial' as campaigners protest outside Pacific Quay offices
The BBC has denied accusations of bias towards the Better Together campaign during its coverage of the upcoming Scottish Independence Referendum.
As a crowd of Yes campaigners demonstrated outside of the headquarters of BBC Scotland on the afternoon of Sunday 13 September, with a banner being used to call for the sacking of the corporation’s political editor, Nick Robinson, the BBC released a statement to deny the accusations that its coverage was biased.
A BBC spokesperson told The Drum: "We believe our coverage of the referendum has been rigorously impartial and in line with our guidelines on fairness and impartiality."
The Yes campaign has reacted following a clash between Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond and Robinson earlier in the week during a press conference where Salmond demanded an inquiry into who leaked the decision by the Royal Bank of Scotland to relocate its headquarters to England in the event of Scottish independence.
Robinson had attempted to push Salmond for a response on the economic significance of such a decision by the bank, which led to Salmond accusing him of ‘heckling’.
Speaking afterwards to BBC Radio Scotland, Salmond said of the leak: “What concerned me is not the impact on jobs because there will be none…what really concerns me is how this information was released to the BBC.”
Meanwhile, BBC reporters have faced further accusations of bias in their reporting directly through social media.