SNP MSP criticised for claiming BBC journalist 'imagined' abuse from independence supporters

The BBC’s Sarah Smith has spoken out about the “vitriolic attention” she received while covering Scottish politics.

In an interview for a paper published by the Reuters Institute at Oxford University, Smith said people would “roll their car windows down as they drive past me in the street to ask me ‘what fucking lies you’re going to be telling on TV tonight, you fucking lying bitch’.”

While there was widespread shock at Smith's comments, one SNP MSP suggested the journalist had imagined the abuse, while another prominent independence supporting politician reacted to the comments by calling her a “traitor”. 

Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said it was up to First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and Culture Secretary Angus Robertson to “stop fanning anti-BBC sentiment within their movement.”

The journalist, who served as the corporation’s Scotland editor, but was appointed as North American editor late last year, said she was “demonised quite heavily... amongst certain parts of the population”. 

Smith said that she believed the abuse was in part because her father was John Smith, the former Labour leader, and a well-known unionist who died in 1994. 

She said: “He was a very well-known politician, he was a Unionist, people like to therefore assume that my politics must be the same as my father's despite me being, one, a different person, and him having been dead for 27 years.”

She said was relieved to be leaving Scotland as in the US she would be “gloriously anonymous”.

“Nobody will have any idea who my father is. So the misogynistic idea that I can’t have any of my own thoughts anyway, or rise above my family connections to report impartially, will no longer be part of the discourse.”

Peter Smith, the ITV News Scotland correspondent, who was also interviewed for the paper, said he had been called “a traitor” and “Satan”. He said the abuse was nothing compared to Sarah Smith, probably because he was a man.

Channel 4 News Scotland correspondent, Ciaran Jenkins, said he was called “vile”, “a f***ing moron” and a “nasty little rat” after a 2021 election interview with Sturgeon.

Responding to a journalist sharing the story on Twitter, SNP MSP Dornan said: "America would be the go to place to escape all her imaginary woes then."

Tory MSP Jamie Halcro-Johnson said: "What a shameful response to a woman’s personal experiences of misogyny. I hope other SNP MSPs/MPs will condemn."

Dornan later backtracked, saying: "Imaginary was the wrong word to use, should have been ‘exaggerated’.

"Any abuse she suffered is too much but if Sarah Smith is saying that politics over here is more vicious than in the US she hasn’t been paying enough attention to what has been going on over there, nor rest of UK."

Phil Boswell, a former SNP MP, who is now a member of Alex Salmond’s Alba party, said Smith had "never been unbiased.”

He tweeted. “A traitor to the highest metric within journalism. No great loss, as another ‘cap doffer’ shall replace her, and the UK controlled media machine grinds on.”

Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said: “The public are justifiably proud of the BBC and its global reputation for integrity and impartiality so knowing that one of their most prominent journalists felt compelled to leave the country due to what she described as ‘hatred and misogyny’ is quite frankly disturbing.

"I was saddened but unsurprised to see that after Sarah spoke out she received another wave of nationalist abuse. If Nicola Sturgeon and Angus Robertson are serious about their commitment to public service broadcasting perhaps they should condemn this behaviour and agree to stop fanning anti-BBC sentiment within their movement.

"Sadly I suspect that as long as the broadcaster refuses to unquestioningly parrot nationalist nonsense, the SNP will always have a problem with the BBC".

An SNP spokesperson said:  "The SNP is committed to publicly-funded public service broadcasting, and the attacks by the Tory UK Government on the BBC are deeply concerning.

“From this account it is clear that Sarah Smith has been subject to totally unacceptable misogynistic abuse, that goes far beyond the experiences of her male peers.

“We wish Sarah Smith well in her new assignment in the USA, and welcome James Cook to the role of Scotland editor.”

A BBC spokesperson said: “The safety of our journalists is paramount and while we wouldn’t comment on individual cases, we have a range of measures in place to support our staff, both online and in person.

“No journalist should have to put up with the kind of abuse described by Sarah. There should be no place for it in journalism or any other aspect of public life.”