Newsnight fails Scotland on Dart Energy Threat

Why is it that Scotlands flagship news program completely missed the story? If you compare the content and tone of the 12 minute BBC piece with one and half minutes from 7 News in Australia the differences are stark.

The real story in Scotland:

2014 UPDATE here…

The confused Newsnight coverage:

  • Coverage of an energy industry event.
  • Rhetoric about Shale Gas and Hydraulic Fracturing.
  • A controversial report written by some people in London paid for by the fracking industry.
  • A reporter on a slag heap talking about the past.
  • Finally some facts and background from Rob Edwards (Sunday Herald).
  • Back to Fracking in Lancashire and America.
  • The conference again.
  • Then finally Ministers say “no plans for Shale Gas operations in Scotland“!!!

and the studio section:

  • Shale Gas rhetoric based on out of date information from America and a controversial, industry sponsored report.
  • A clear statement from Mariann that the technology causes environmental damage.
  • Some information about the location of sites and a statement from SEPA that there are no leaks yet.
  • Shale Gas rhetoric based on out of date information from America.
  • A clear statement from Mariann that the costs outweigh any gains and that local people do not want the development.
  • An irrelevant and misleading comparison to north sea oil and gas and a fudged figure of “a third of our needs for quite a few years”.
  • A defense of the report but not the industry and their dismal track record in the US and Australia.
  • A clear statement from Mariann that once Governments start to understand the problems…
  • interrupted by more Shale Gas rhetoric.
  • A clear statement from Marianne that there is little of no benefit to local communities and a question “Who’s getting the benefit, who’s paying the cost?”.
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