Coronavirus in Scotland: BBC to broadcast daily covid briefings with opposition parties during Scottish Parliament election
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
From Wednesday, March 24, whenever a briefing is led by a Scottish Government minister, members of the other main parties will be invited to contribute to the coverage.
The corporation will also consider how significant the new public health information expected to be discussed at each briefing is before deciding whether to broadcast it during the campaign.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdIt is thought that the briefings that are aired will normally be shown on BBC Scotland or the BBC News Channel, or on BBC One in Scotland when “major new information” is expected.
The decision comes after opposition parties complained that the First Minister’s regular television appearances would give her undue prominence during the election.
Scottish Conservative leader, Douglas Ross, said: "We have argued for months that public health officials could and should lead these briefings to deliver essential public health messages without SNP ministers using Covid-19 for political point scoring.
"The shameful decision to let the SNP continue these briefings will have deeply damaging consequences for democracy in Scotland."
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdThe corporation insisted that it had a duty to fulfil its commitment to providing key public health information amid the pandemic.


On Wednesday, Ms Sturgeon told MSPs that she would not appear at all Scottish Government daily briefings during the campaign.
She said: "It will not be business as normal during the election campaign but we will still be in a crisis and therefore we need to make sure we are serving the public appropriately.
"If there are big decisions that we are having to make during the election period,” she added, “then I have a duty to communicate to the public what they are."
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdIn a statement, a spokesperson for the BBC said: "Our aim is to ensure that our commitment to providing key public health information to our audiences continues to be fulfilled.


“In all cases, our editorial decisions will be based on two considerations: the significance of the public health information to be discussed at the briefing, and the requirement for the BBC to exercise due impartiality during the election period."
A message from the Editor:
Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers.
If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.
Comment Guidelines
National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.