Switch off your phone Glenn and focus on getting better, we need you!

Glenn Campbell - ever the professional journalist

I first met BBC Scotland’s political editor, Glenn Campbell, when he was a very young journalist at Scot FM. He was one of a handful of people at a NUJ branch meeting in a stuffy little room in central Edinburgh, one mid-week evening in the late 1980s. Little did I think that a few years later we would be on “opposite sides” – he as a political reporter for BBC Scotland and I as chief press officer for Scotland’s First Minister.

But even though we would occasionally clash, Glenn was ever the professional journalist – courteous while asking probing questions, which I sometimes found difficult to answer.

I was devasted to learn that he has just been diagnosed with a brain tumour at only 47. I am sure he will make a complete recovery – his condition was discovered early after he suffered injuries from a bike accident last month – but it must still be a very worrying time for his family, friends and colleagues.

I hope that the trolls who were so rude, even nasty, about Glenn’s bike accident when he posted details of his 10 broken ribs on social media refrain from commenting on his current state of health.

Political journalists do a very important job on our behalf. They scrutinise closely the words and actions of our politicians. Without them, politicians would be able to get away with all sorts of nonsense, from wasting money on vanity projects to telling blatant lies about the state of the public finances. Even with the intense scrutiny of professionals like Glenn and the Evening News’ Ian Swanson, politicians still try to get away with murder – imagine what they would be like without being held to account.

Yet many political activists treat people like Glenn with contempt, accusing them of being pro-UK and anti-SNP, or anti-UK and pro-SNP – depending on their own bias.

Their insults on social media are often very personal, downright nasty in fact. These keyboard warriors may think they are scoring points for their side. Instead, they are souring our political debate and putting off voters. So Glenn, switch off your phone, and focus on getting better, there is a general election coming soon and we need your insight.

Switch off your phone Glenn and focus on getting better, we need you! - Susan Dalgety