Beneath the bias, the crisis: The press, the independent media and the Scottish referendum

Abstract

This article examines the coverage of the Scottish referendum of 2014 by the press in the context of a multi-nation state with diverging political cultures. Evidence of press bias is assessed but the article argues that the more interesting question is why, despite the bias, there was considerable neutrality or even pro-independence views, given that the referendum posed an existential threat to the British state? The article argues that the political crisis was also a crisis for some sections of the press, who in a complex and contradictory context had their un-reflexive unionism mitigated. Signs of historic re-alignments among the Scottish electorate – especially the working class vote – threw the press on the defensive. The article also considers the impact of the independent media and the use of the Internet and social media to facilitate a grassroots campaign for independence, which again made the press look out of touch with popular currents. The political and media crisis is situated in the context of the contest between neo-liberalism and social democracy and draws on a Gramscian framework to analyse this.