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How Scotland's press (and their counterparts over the border) reported the independence white paper

By Julian Calvert

November 28, 2013 | 5 min read

Are Scotland's newspapers helping readers make informed judgements about the independence debate, or are they already dripping with their own agenda? Julian Calvert, senior lecturer in journalism at Glasgow Caledonian University, has had some time to digest the press reaction to the independence white paper unveiled by Alex Salmond. Here he looks at how papers north and south of the border reported on the 649-page document that could go down in history.

It’s a measure of the impact that Tuesday's independence white paper made across the UK that the Scotsman’s front page was mentioned during the Radio 3 breakfast programme. Surprised? I nearly choked on my wholemeal toast to hear a Scottish newspaper being mentioned between the bouts of Rossini and Mahler.The Scotsman did have a strong presence on the newsstands though, with the dark blue of the Saltire backdrop giving the reversed masthead some real impact, although the main headline – 'Scotland’s future?' – seemed a bit pre-planned.
The Sun’s front page always seems fated to be discussed more than any other when this type of ‘historic’ announcement comes along, and sure enough the cartoon-based image could not conceivably have appeared anywhere else. 'Eck to the future' isn’t a pun that will live for long in subs’ memories though, and I’m not sure how flattered Eck will have been by the somewhat portly version of Marty McFly that he was morphed into for the dominant picture.
Equally true to form was the moral certainty of the Mail; 'The Great Pretender' must also have been planned some time ago and the accompanying lengthy standfirst with both a ‘litany’ and a ‘certain disaster’ would just have been waiting for the number ‘670’ to be typed. A cartoon turning Salmond into Braveheart rather mixed the metaphors somewhat however, and they didn’t quite devote the whole of the page to the issue as the combination of Nigella Lawson and cocaine proved just too tempting to resist. (The Sun’s front page in England, by the way, was about ‘Higella’ alone, with no reference to Scotland at all).The various cartoons say a lot about the character of each paper, and Matt in the Telegraph was typically concise in mixing whisky with the currency union debate, occupying a tiny corner of the front page dominated by the competing claims of Salmond: We want to keep UK’s crown jewels and, yes, Nigella again – yet more evidence for those who argue that the Telegraph is moving ever nearer to the Mail’s version of the centre ground.The Times used a picture rather than words to show its leanings – the headline was ambivalent, the Nessie cartoon unremarkable but the choice of picture very significant: Salmond with eyes closed looking far from alert, Sturgeon scratching her head.
The Record also left readers in no doubt where it will stand in the new few months of debate – very predictably on the union side, rather strangely with Jessie J in the strapline and headline – while the Herald looked to have foregone the pre-planning approach and used a lengthy quote as a headline and a neutral pic, washed down with lashings of white space to make a broadsheet contrast with all the shoutiness of the tabloids. Some would argue that the darkly symbolic cover of the eight-page supplement had more visual impact than the front page itself.
Overall, the surprises were few and far between – the Record, Telegraph and Mail’s instantly hostile stances were so predictable that they made Andy Murray look like a rank outsider for Sports Personality of the Year.The Herald and the Scotsman both devoted many pages to the various issues raised by the white paper, and spin doctors and special advisers on all sides will be going through them with a fine toothcomb to see if they’ll incline in favour of either side, but at the moment the leader columns seem precariously poised on the fence. However, as the big day draws near, and with both titles seeing their circulation steadily fall, a calculated gamble by one or both will seem more likely with every month that passes.And the Scottish Sun? Not the ringing endorsement that came before the last Scottish parliamentary elections, by any means – in fact it’s easy to see that slightly alarmed image of Salmond causing some heartburn in the Yes camp.
The Guardian’s 10,800 purchasers in Scotland will have been blissfully untroubled by all the arguments though – they could adjust the volume on Radio 3 and settle down to read a front page picture free from Scottish politics, but a lovely piece by Simon Hoggart about the death of crossword setter Araucaria.

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