HEALTH and care representatives in Scotland have called on the BBC to reinstate broadcasts of the Scottish Government’s Covid-19 briefings.
Last night it emerged the broadcaster would no longer air all of the First Minister’s coronavirus updates, instead picking which ones to show on an “editorial basis”.
The decision has prompted outrage from politicians and members of the public, as well as health and care bodies.
A petition calling for the BBC to reverse the decision has gained more than 10,000 signatures while #BBCScotlandSwitchOff is trending on Twitter having been mentioned more than 11,000 times.
READ MORE: What to do if you're angry about the BBC axing Nicola Sturgeon's briefings
Scottish Collaboration for Public Health Research and Policy (SCPHRP), a research centre at Edinburgh University focused on public health matters, has called on the broadcaster to pull a U-turn.
They told BBC Scotland: “As a public health organisation we strongly disagree with your decision to remove the daily briefings. People use these to make informed decisions about #Covid19 - please reinstate them.”
Meanwhile Dr Donald Macaskill, the CEO of Scottish Care, said he was “very disappointed that in the midst of the largest public health emergency ever that [BBC Scotland] has decided to cut back coverage”.
He added that older people especially “depend” on the information provided at the conferences – and called the move to axe the broadcasts “yet another example of age discrimination” during the crisis.
Deputy FM John Swinney spoke out against the move this morning, calling it a “matter of regret”.
READ MORE: ‘It’s been crucial’: John Swinney urges BBC to keep showing Covid-19 briefings
He told Good Morning Scotland: “I think it's been a really important channel of public communication for the Scottish Government and the First Minister, to be able to speak directly to members of the public about the very difficult issues with which we are wrestling now.
“It's an important channel because we need to ensure public compliance to the measures that were taken so we need to get these messages out.
“It's been a crucial part of the communication, and I would like to see it continued to be broadcast on BBC Scotland channels because of the importance of getting that message directly to members of the public.”
After the decision was announced last night a BBC spokesperson said: “We will continue to provide extensive coverage of the government press conferences across our news services, including live streaming online.
“We will of course consider showing press conferences live when any major developments or updates are anticipated.”
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