I Read The News Today - Oh Boy (Lennon and McCartney)

"Twitter now writes the first draft of history, where journalism used to."

John Birmingham is one of my favourite fiction authors who also earns a crust by penning articles for some of Australia's best known and most widely read newspapers. He made the above quote in The Brisbane Times last week in an article relating to largely unreported Police action in forcibly clearing an Aboriginal tent embassy in order to make way for a Greek Paniyiri Festival.

Here in Scotland, the quote is wonderfully relevant given the woeful standards evident in the reporting of our news, current affairs and political events that we are expected to tolerate from both our print and, especially, our visual media with particular emphasis being placed on our publicly funded BBC.

I, like many others, no longer buy what I might previously have termed "my" daily newspaper due in no small part to the lack of balanced and factual reporting available. Some "news"papers, like The Scotsman, have seen their circulation fall to alarming levels, quite probably as a result of the ludicrous slant they place on practically any story relating to Government in and of Scotland.

I have never been a member of Facebook and doubt that I will join but I have now been an active user of Twitter for just over 1 year. Twitter now provides me with not only all the news I require but news that I would, otherwise, not even be permitted to read or hear. Be permitted being the crucial phrase.

Apart from their own refusal to accept that most simply want an unbiased report of the news with even-handed opinion pieces, the biggest threat to traditional media comes from Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. Had they and the internet existed in the 1970's, Scotland might already be an independent country given the access that each and every one of us now has to attitudes, viewpoints, opinion and even just the news that was once completely denied to us.

Were it not for Twitter, I might never even have heard of any of the following as they have hardly been the subject of widespread media and, particularly, television reporting:

The McCrone Report commissioned in 1974 by the then Conservative Government in London, presented in 1975 and immediately classified as Top Secret by the Labour Government of Harold Wilson. Why was it hidden from us? Because it specifically stated that an Independent Scotland would prosper. Surely, for that reason alone, there exists the basis for a Newsnight Scotland special?

The UK Attorney General blocking the release of official papers relating to Scottish devolution. Why did he block the papers? Because it would not be "in the public interest". Forgive me, but what public? The rest of the UK public or the Scottish public? We are supposed to be in a union of equals but, as is so often the case, it appears that some are more equal than others. Surely, within this classification as secret, there exists the basis for a Brian Taylor studio spot on Reporting Scotland?

The Bain Principle (as tweeted by Willie Bain MP) which is self-explanatory and totally indefensible. To my mind, this was the political revelation of the decade but, to my knowledge, it has not even been mentioned on the BBC never mind discussed or investigated. They are letting us and themselves down by ignoring this revelation as they have a specific remit and responsibility to report the news and to do so in an impartial and balanced way. It is clear to me that they are not doing so.

Glasgow Labour's alleged deal with the Orange Order. Once again, a subject totally ignored by most of our print media and, shamefully, by BBC Scotland. It is alleged that the Leader of Glasgow City Council, Gordon Matheson, agreed to relax regulations concerning Orange Walks in the city in return for the Orange Order 'suggesting' that their membership vote Labour in the recent local authority elections. Once again, this should, surely, have seen an investigation and exposé by one or all of our television outlets. No mention, the story completely brushed under the carpet.

Mr Al-Megrahi, the so-called Lockerbie bomber. I have linked to the Scottish Review because in today's edition, there is a particularly splendid opinion piece written by Kenneth Roy entitled "The coverage of his death has been crass and repugnant" and with which I agree 100%. Were it not for the internet and, to be fair, The Herald, I might never have been presented with a view other than that which states Mr Al-Megrahi was guilty as charged. Personally, I don't believe he was the guilty party but, sadly, I don't believe we will ever find out the truth.

Those, then, are just some examples of where the Internet and Twitter have broadened my horizons. Our print and televisual media are not yet finished, they can save themselves. They could make a start by asking one simple question during political interviews. The next time we have a Labour politician complaining about Westminster this or Tory that, is it to much to ask that the interviewer poses the following:

"If Scotland were Independent, what would the situation be?"

Sadly, I think it is. That will be their downfall.