WITH the publication of Nicola Sturgeon’s first independence paper coming from Bute House on Tuesday, the mainstream media's coverage of the milestone event has left much to be desired.

While the move has been welcomed across the Yes movement, many of its detractors have found platforms on flagship broadcasts across the UK.

With that in mind, here’s a list of some of the worst pieces of coverage so far.

Clare Muldoon: The SNP are racist

On Wednesday morning, GB News didn’t hesitate to take their expected Unionist stance.

While commenting on Nicola Sturgeon’s commitment to holding a referendum with or without a Section 30 order, Clare Muldoon said that the First Minister was “full of her own narrative, full of her own importance”.

Muldoon carried on with her questionable insight by saying: “This woman is racist, the whole SNP faction are racist, they don’t like the English.”

John Beattie reads out anti-independence texts

The former rugby professional and current radio host read out a series of anti-independence texts on his drivetime show. Beattie left out any voices that thought another independence referendum was a good idea while repeating claims that “civil servants have been busy pedalling SNP lies”.

Alys Denby: It’s not just a decision for Scotland

Going back to GB News, contributor Alys Denby offered her thoughts on any pending referendum.

She started off by disregarding the argument that Scotland being taken out of the EU against its will had any bearing on the validity of another vote on Scottish independence.

She said: “No, this reeks of opportunism from Nicola Sturgeon. She wants to go now because she wants to be going up against a weakened Boris Johnson, she wants to be doing this at a time where we’re in a cost of living crisis so the economic arguments don’t loom so large …

“I don’t think she’s got a mandate for this. She didn’t secure a majority in the Holyrood elections and, as I say, completely opportunistic.”

She finished with a flourish by equating the United Kingdom with her own family situation as Denby, who is English, is married to a Scot. She said that “we’re all British, we’re a family”.

Denby then commented that Scottish independence would affect the rest of the United Kingdom and so a referendum shouldn’t be left to just Scotland.

She said: “It’s not just a decision for Scotland, this is a decision for the whole of the United Kingdom.”

READ MORE: Boris Johnson can't say why Scotland can't be independent at PMQs

Tory MP on an independent Scotland's economy

Conservative MP Craig Mackinlay was on the panel for Wednesday’s Politics Live where he offered his far from expert opinion on an independent Scotland’s economy.

Mackinlay claimed that Scotland would “inherit” billions in debt and be denied entry into the EU due to its economic performance.

He said: “You’d have £180 billion in debt inherited, you’d have £20bn of an annual debt every year. You would not be allowed to join the EU with those levels of economic failure.”

Daily Mail deputy political editor on Politics Live

The Daily Mail’s John Stevens complimented Mackinlay’s dismissive tone with his own snarky attitude towards the first of Nicola Sturgeon’s independence papers.

Tuesday’s “scene setter” paper took the example of other similarly sized European countries as templates for how Scotland might flourish as an independent state within the EU.

However, Stevens described the publication as “cherry picking”.

He said: “That document wasn’t examining what could actually happen to Scotland, it was citing some random figures and making a case with them.”

SNP MP Kirsten Oswald then pointed out that the countries highlighted in the document, unlike Scotland, are independent states and have greater powers to adapt their economies and make the most of their opportunities.

Have we missed any? Let us know?