Media blamed for national tension

The report said many newspapers gave a one-sided view of Scotland

England and Scotland have drifted further apart since devolution and are growing more ignorant of each other, according to a think tank.

The claim is made in an Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) paper by journalist Douglas Fraser, on the media's influence post-devolution.

It lays much of the blame on the London-based media, which is accused of "metropolitan myopia".

Mr Fraser is Scottish political editor of the Herald newspaper.

He notes that London newspapers now produce Scottish editions, and strip Scottish news from the English version, while the Scottish media has focussed more attention on what happens at Holyrood.

He said this combined to make the nations seem increasingly distant from each other and could actively create cross-border tensions.

Mr Fraser identified a "metropolitan myopia", where London-based media failed to reflect properly what was going on, not only in Scotland, but also Wales and the English regions.

Those in England who learn about their country from their morning papers will have very little knowledge, and even less understanding, of the fundamental changes in Scotland Douglas Fraser The Herald

He said London-based newspapers tend to treat Scotland as a foreign country, only covering "heroin and haggis" stories which limit the understanding of Scotland in England.

And he warned that coverage which increasingly focused on the perceived inequities of devolution, such as the public spending disparities between Scotland and England, could fuel resentment between the two countries.

Mr Fraser also focused on the long-running debate on whether or not the BBC should broadcast a Scottish version of the Six O'Clock News, the so-called Scottish Six, which he argued was likely to be superseded by increased digital opt out.

'Good indicator'

Mr Fraser said: "Those in England who learn about their country from their morning papers will have very little knowledge, and even less understanding, of the fundamental changes in Scotland.

"The UK is badly served by a media which fails to reflect the regional and national diversity of the country. Too much of our national conversation is mediated by people who don't get out of London enough.

"It is easy to dismiss these issues as more whingeing from the Jocks, but there are important issues here about how Britain understands itself as a nation."

Mr Fraser's paper, Nation Speaking Unto Nation, is the latest in a series of commissioned research papers as part of the IPPR's Future of the Union project.

Guy Lodge, senior research fellow at IPPR, said: "The media is a good indicator of how much we know and care about each other.

"During a time when there is so much debate about the future relationship between England and Scotland, what is clear is that since devolution the English and Scots are drifting further apart and growing more ignorant of each other."