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Media Watch – Five ways Scotland is damaged by biased news reports of doctors strike

Today marks the end the strike by NHS junior doctors in England - for now. Most media outlets have continually ignored that there has been no strike in Scotland - the Scottish government agreed to gradually restore doctors’ pay levels last summer.

Many viewers in Scotland will have been shouting at the TV this last week asking: “What about Scotland?” when it is omitted from UK-wide reports - even though Northern Ireland and Wales, which also face industrial action, are mentioned. 

At the same time, Scottish media outlets have uncritically carried misleading claims by Unionist parties about Scotland’s health service. Both UK-based and supposedly Scottish media have demonstrated a lack of balance in their coverage of the situation. 

Here are five ways this pattern of news reporting is damaging to Scotland. 

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Child poverty gap between Scotland and UK widens - but an independent Scotland could do better

A new report from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation this week confirmed the UK’s shocking position in terms of child poverty - which is now almost a third, 31% in England and 28% in Wales. The report found Scotland has a “much lower” child poverty rate of 24%. 

A report from UNICEF, last month, provided us with comparable child poverty statistics for most advanced economies. It showed the rapid progress the UK has made in terms of child poverty - in the wrong direction. With a rise of 20% in a decade, the UK is doing twice as badly on this metric as any other country in the report. 

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Would an independent Scotland join the EU?

One of the key Better Together claims that led many people to vote ‘No’ in 2014 was that an independent Scotland would lose its EU membership. Now after Brexit, rejoining the EU has become the key reason given by voters that have switched from No to Yes on independence. 

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Who are Believe in Scotland Youth?

Young people are the future of Scotland. It is they who have the most to gain from independence and the endless opportunities it entails. It is, however, the demographic of the young that are the least connected to the Yes movement. Despite often showing the highest support for independence of any age group – with the latest poll showing a 72% support for Yes among 16-25 year olds – they are continuously poorly represented across the movement. This is a problem not just for the Yes movement but across the entirety of Scottish politics. Young people feel disenfranchised and disconnected from politics and politicians. So, how do we create a change?

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Football anomaly a sign of Scotland’s low status in UK broadcasting

Scotland is the only GB country where national games are not free to view 

Scotland’s match against Norway at home was free to view in Norway but not Scotland. But England’s Euro qualifiers were free to view. So were Wales’ games. Scottish fans alone of the GB countries had to shell out for an expensive Viaplay subscription – or go to the pub. That situation excludes youngsters. It creates difficult choices for families in a cost of living crisis.

This scenario is just one detail of a bigger picture. When it comes to broadcasting, Scotland has to make do with the crumbs from England’s table. Most of the TV, radio, newspapers and digital content Scots can access are operated and managed outside Scotland. 

Meanwhile, similar-sized independent countries in Scandinavia have broadcasting sectors many times the size of Scotland’s. 

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How easily could an independent Scotland set up its own currency?

This article will consider the experiences of other independent nations which developed their own currency after independence. We hope this will answer the questions on the minds of many undecided voters: namely how difficult/easy would it be for Scotland to create its own currency and whether this would cause economic instability. 

We will present some mini case studies to highlight the positives of adopting a new currency, with examples of recently independent countries who have created and launched their own currency both quickly and effectively. 

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What currency would be used in an independent Scotland?

An independent Scotland should have its own currency – it's just a matter of when is the optimum time to launch it. Therefore, a clear plan on how an independent Scotland will set up its currency will be a very important component of the independence campaign ongoing. This article will outline what the Scottish Government has proposed for the adoption of an independent currency and how that will work in practice.

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