16/07/2008

allmediascotland hears of senior SNP figures growing increasingly frustrated by what they describe as “non stories” about their party appearing in Scotland on Sunday newspaper.

It came to a head with Sunday’s edition, which had SNP leader, Alex Salmond, being accused of cronyism after it emerged that over two hundred thousand pounds had been given by the Scottish Government to the Scottish Islamic Foundation, run by an SNP activist but supported by all four main political parties in Scotland.

The SNP believes it was a ‘non-story’ because it wasn’t followed up by other media.

They cite a similar fate to a story last September, claiming the SNP was charging money for access to Salmond, and other senior party members, at its annual conference. And a similar outcome to a tale, in April, of a former-SNP-official-turned-lobbyist influencing Salmond on when to issue a statement about an energy business.

The SNP has not yet made a complaint to Scotland on Sunday.

But a senior SNP official told allmediascotland.com: “Everyone understands that there is an element of kite flying in the Sunday papers, but a series of Scotland on Sunday front page stories have gone nowhere in the follow up Monday papers because there is absolutely no substance to them. Not even PA picks up on them. The judgement of the daily journalists working on a Sunday is the real test of Sunday stories, and, on that basis, SoS is failing lamentably. I don’t think SoS has an anti-SNP agenda as such, but these daft stories are getting more than a bit tiresome.”

Comment: Did they not read Monday's Herald then? SM Here: http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/news/display.var.2393175.0.Ministers_in_cash_pledge_after_blunder_over_letters.php

Comment: Since when did a story become a non-story unless more than one paper runs it?

Comment: It sounds like AMS has been spun itself. What is this rule that a story is only a story if every other paper follows it up? Don't get me wrong, I take my hat off to the SNP press team which is a truly impressive machine. But regardless of your politics ,you need to keep pushing back against this kind of nonsense. One simple question, how many of the SNP PR team have served their time on a newsdesk defining what is and isn't a story? Ross

Comment: The SNP’s spin team are looking like the Corporal Jones of Scottish politics – they don’t like it up ‘em. Instead of whining about negative publicity they should accept press scrutiny as an important part of the democratic process. Muslim groups in Glasgow have complained over the award of £215,000 funding to an organisation run by an SNP parliamentary candidate. It is absolutely legitimate for a Sunday newspaper to report serious concerns about taxpayers’ money being funnelled towards a member or supporters of a specific political party. Instead of bleating about the press, Alex Salmond and the SNP must ensure there is an investigation into these grave allegations to restore the confidence of our Muslim community that the Scottish government is impartial in such matters. The Scottish public need to know that special favours are not handed out to members and supporters of the SNP. Michael McMahon.

Comment: Sometimes newsworthy stories take a while to be judged newsworthy by our esteemed organs of the press, as Private Eye might refer to them when, as it often does, it notes exclusives and major breaking stories in the national media that were first covered in their pages weeks and sometimes months before. They are of course not the only ones to be ahead of the game in realising that certain issues should be aired in the public domain. Bloggers increasingly help to put news stories in the public eye - indeed I suspect some journalists now use them as a guide to what the chattering classes want to talk about. And on more than a few occasions, I have put out press releases that finally saw the light of print weeks later, and not necessarily just as a space filler on the inside pages either. There are also sometimes suspicions that certain newspapers are somewhat reluctant to carry stories that might disagree with the paper's editorial line/owners/owners' friends. This doesn't make the story any less newsworthy. Au contraire, it may be more so ...Regards, Dave

Comment: Sorry AllMediaScotland, but methinks your story about a non-story in SoS is itself a non-story. It's a story when the SNP intends to file a complaint or enters into discourse with SoS editors but it's not a story when it's another PR rant. Will

Comment: As 'media experts', you must surely be aware that there has been a growing trend for some time now for dailies not to slavishly follow up Sunday exclusives, because they don't want to be seen on the internet as being second best or, more pertinently, giving another paper a mention which could act as a possible web traffic director. Would have thought that was obvious...Mmmmm

Comment: AMS is quite correct to report SNP concerns about SoS stories that have little substance. Is there any suggestion of wrong doing on the part of the former SNP parliamentary candidate who heads the Scottish Islamic Foundation? No, there isn't.  Is there any suggestion that the Foundation is not a worthy organisation and should not benefit from public funding?  Not that I have heard. So, what is the story, then? That Osama Saeed knows and agrees with Scotland's First Minister about independence for Scotland, and has been prepared to put himself forward as an SNP parliamentary candidate. That is the extent of the story - unless SoS or some of the posters here are prepared to offer anything more. Are we to have a situation where anyone who is a member of a political party, or who has publicly voiced a political opinion, should not be allowed a day job with an organisation that might qualify for public funding? Scotland on Sunday does not support the SNP or Scotland re-taking its independence, so it is no surprise that it runs stories which are nothing more than attempts to damage the SNP Government. Equally, it is perfectly acceptable for the SNP to point out when SoS stories are nothing more than Unionist spin. Just for the record, I support an independent Scotland. Any of the previous posters wish to declare their support for the British Union? Campbell Martin

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