The National:

THE BBC has faced a backlash over Reporting Scotland’s coverage of First Minister Nicola Sturgeon's speech to the SNP conference.

That speech covered a whole range of topics – including the disastrous Tory Brexit, having to fund a COP26 Youth Conference because the UK Government won’t cough up enough cash and the Covid vaccination efforts.

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Another central theme was, of course, Scottish independence.

Addressing Westminster, Sturgeon said: “They know – and are utterly terrified by the prospect – that when we look outwards we see all around us the evidence right there in front of our eyes.

The National:

“The evidence that independence works. For countries of Scotland’s size, independence works. Our neighbours in north-west Europe are wealthier than the UK. All of them.”

You can click here if you’d like to read the full keynote speech, as you’ll have seen so little of it on BBC Scotland.

Twitter users called that out, with Billy Kay writing: “I watched Reporting Scotland to see how they would cover the SNP conference and @NicolaSturgeon’s important speech. They didn’t! Unbelievable! I can think of no other modern democracy where the leader of the major party and FM of the country would be so ignored in this way.”

Many of those responding to that message weren’t happy either:

The BBC – which has been approached for comment – did indeed snub the independence aspects of the speech in the 6.30pm Reporting Scotland, leading on decisions over vaccinating teenagers instead.

It was, however, covered briefly in the lunchtime news edition of the show.

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The report opened: "Nicola Sturgeon has re-iterated her calls for another independence referendum.

“Making the closing speech at her party's virtual conference the SNP leader said their victory in the Holyrood elections in May is an unarguable mandate for a second referendum.”

A short analysis followed – but all this was gone by the 6.30pm bulletin which, of course, is the one that people busy at work during the day will catch.

The 10.25pm Reporting Scotland also offered nothing on the speech. So, the total coverage of the theme of independence highlighted so centrally totalled just under 1 minute and 55 seconds across the day.

On the show, even in that report that did cover the event, there was no mention of the First Minister’s key point that other European nations do just fine as independent countries.

STV’s Scotland Tonight did cover Sturgeon’s speech, unlike the late edition of Reporting Scotland.

The show also honed in on the indyref2 theme, digging into the details.

We’re sure you’ve seen those stories in recent years of STV outpacing BBC Scotland viewing figures…