Media Matters; how the media reports on indepencence matters

Craig talks to David Patrick, author of recently published book Front-Page Scotland which looks at how stories about Scottish independence were reported in the newspapers throughout the 2014 independence referendum campaign.

Type of Resource
Podcast
Primary Author or Creator
David Patrick
Additional Author(s) / Creators
Common Weal

Constructing the Visual Online Political Self: An Analysis of Instagram Use by the Scottish Electorate

Through a qualitative analysis of images shared on the platform Instagram, we demonstrate that the Scottish electorate did indeed used image-sharing for political self-expression -- posting a variety of visual content, representative of a diversity of political opinion. We conclude that users utilised Instagram as a platform to craft and present their "political selves". 

Type of Resource
Academic Paper
Date Published
Primary Author or Creator
Jamie Mahoney
Additional Author(s) / Creators
Tom Feltwell, Obinna Ajuruchi, Shaun Lawson

Whose voices are heard in the news? A study of sources in television coverage of the Scottish independence referendum

This analyses the referendum coverage on BBC’s Reporting Scotland in the final month of the campaign. Findings suggest that, despite the presence of many types of sources, male-dominated political elites were the main focus in the news.  The coverage more broadly manifests a liberal democratic logic whereby the media represent the views of politicians and political organisations to the public, whose role is to make an informed choice between them, with comparatively limited opportunities to participate in the mediated political debate.

Type of Resource
Academic Paper
Date Published
Primary Author or Creator
Marina Dekavalla
Additional Author(s) / Creators
Alenka Jelen-Sanchez

Online Allies and Tricky Freelancers: Understanding the Differences in the Role of Social Media in the Campaigns for the Scottish Independence Referendum

some campaigns – like Better Together – selectively adopt digital tools that fit with the command and control model; in other cases – like Yes Scotland – the application of digital communications technologies and the dynamics created by linking to other (digital-enabled) grassroots organizations can have transformative effects.

Type of Resource
Research article
Date Published
Primary Author or Creator
Ana Ines Langer
Additional Author(s) / Creators
Michael Comerford, Des McNulty, University of Glasgow

The Media and National Identity: Local Newspapers’ Coverage of Scottish Independence during the Campaign of the 2014 Scottish Independence Referendum

the 2014 Scottish independence referendum offered local newspapers a unique opportunity to frame Scottish independence in a particular manner that reinforces their influence on Scottish distinctiveness and secures their position in the media market. This gives reason to examine how The Courier and Evening Telegraph framed Scottish independence during the campaign of the 2014 referendum in order to assess if local indigenous titles capitalised on this opportunity.

Type of Resource
Academic Paper
Primary Author or Creator
Jan-Philipp Wagner
Additional Author(s) / Creators
University of British Columbia

Aye or naw, whit dae ye hink? Scottish independence and linguistic identity on social media

The results suggest that although Yes users generally express a stronger Scottish linguistic identity than No users, they are not choosing to express this identity strongly in political discourse aimed at a broad audience.

Type of Resource
Academic Paper
Primary Author or Creator
Philippa Shoemark
Additional Author(s) / Creators
Debnil Sur, Luke Shrimpt, Iain Murray, Sharon Goldwater, University of Edinburgh, Stanford University