Television framing of the 2014 Scottish independence referendum - Part 1: Interview data

Dekavalla, Marina (2017). Television framing of the 2014 Scottish independence referendum - Part 1: Interview data. [Data Collection]. Colchester, Essex: UK Data Archive. 10.5255/UKDA-SN-852450

On 18 September 2014, the Scottish electorate will be called to answer a fundamental question about the future of the UK and Scotland: the decision of whether Scotland will become an independent state or remain a part of the UK will have an impact not only on the relationship between the British nations but also on other parts of Europe with similar concerns. Yet, as is the case with any contested issue, the definition of what this referendum is about will be negotiated between political and social groups, debated in the media and deliberated by voters before making their decision. Is the referendum a competition between two opponents fighting for the vote? Is it a matter of identity (shared or distinctive)? Is it a matter of economic survival and growth? This research will examine how the 2014 Scottish independence referendum campaign is framed in the news coverage of the two main television channels catering for audiences in Central Scotland, BBC Scotland and STV. The importance of television as a trusted source of news on political issues is constantly reaffirmed by surveys (Ofcom, 2013, Eurobarometer, 2012) and therefore what television says about a major political event is significant. The study will focus on Scottish news and current affairs coverage referring to the referendum in the final month of the campaign, create an original set of frames emerging from the coverage and measure which of them were more prominent. The project will also use structured interviews with political editors, heads of news and current affairs, political and civil society actors, to discuss how these representations were shaped in the interaction between journalists, media organisations and their sources. The project will contribute to public analysis of the news coverage of the referendum in the aftermath of the event and create opportunities for stakeholders to discuss how broadcasting contributes to the democratic process, through the way it reports on campaigns.

Data description (abstract)

This data collections consists of 13 interview transcripts with members of the news and current affairs teams at BBC Scotland and STV who participated in the coverage of the 2014 Scottish referendum; with professional political communicators who dealt with the media during the referendum campaign on behalf of the Yes or No sides or the political parties which comprised them; and with representatives of Scottish civic society who remained impartial in the referendum but communicated with the media to promote their specific issues during the campaign. Interviews discuss the communication/reporting strategies of these actors during the referendum, how they understood what the referendum was about, how they framed it in their messages/coverage and what influenced them in these decisions. All interviews took place face to face in the first half of 2015. This data complement the frame analysis dataset(see Related resources below) which identifies and measures quantitatively the prominence of different frames in the coverage of BBC Scotland and STV, by exploring how interviewees' frames, working practices and perceptions of the referendum might be connected to the frames that emerged in the news coverage.

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