Public Media and the Changing Story of Scottish Land Ownership

This paper explores the role of public media, specifically the BBC, in shaping narratives of land ownership and accountability in Scotland, focusing on coverage of community land buyouts. Scotland’s long history of land struggles, from the Highland Clearances to buyouts of estates such as Eigg, Assynt, Gigha, and South Uist, has produced competing visions of land as either private property or a collective resource. These visions carry distinct implications for how accountability in land stewardship is understood and enacted. The study draws on video material from the BBC Archive, spanning several decades to capture shifts in narrative and representation over time. Using discourse analysis, it critically examines how public media shapes dominant narratives and explores the verbal and visual elements that construct these representations. The paper contributes to accountability literature by exploring how accountability is produced and shaped through public media. It argues that media narratives actively shape the frameworks through which accountability is understood, particularly in contexts where ownership and stewardship are contested. It underscores the role of media in shaping public consciousness around land justice, illustrating how narratives of accountability are constructed, contested, and mobilised in democratic debate. These narratives influence public support for reform and community ownership.