Impact of media seeking to politicise health measures

The media operating in Scotland sought to politicise Covid19 rather than help health professionals get important facts and information out to the public. For example, BBC Scotland decided to cut off health briefings from CMO, Nat Clinical Director and others to platform opposition politicians, invariably opposing expert advice from these professionals. The BBC did not do this with English or Welsh briefings.

Why the contribution is important

In a deadly pandemic situation, where messaging from experts and governments is crucial, especially information to influence behaviours that could save lives, platforming opposition politicians who invariably oppose on the basis of no expertise is damaging. We have seen ScotGov propose action to mitigate the virus in Scotland , only to have that undermined and conflated by those more interested in what action is being taken in another jurisdiction, who may be at a different stage of the epidemic. Many measures have been opposed, undermined by politicians and media with a political agenda and I believe this has undoubtedly affected compliance, numbers of infections and sadly death. The actions of the opposition and media in Scotland is in stark contrast to their behaviours towards similar proposals, down south.

by Bunter on September 30, 2021 at 04:50PM

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