Study title

This dataset contains the coding of the sources that appeared or were openly referenced in all news items about the 2014 Scottish independence referendum which were broadcast on BBC Reporting Scotland between 18 August and 18 September 2014. The file records the name of each source, the duration of their appearance or quotation, their gender, the side they supported in the referendum, the source category they belonged in (elite official; expert; non-elite official; unofficial; confidential; unaccounted), whether they were interviewed or paraphrased; whether they were identified by name or in generic terms; whether they were used once or multiple times in the same item; and whether they proposed new arguments or responded to someone else's. The news programmes themselves are available from the broadcaster. These data complement the interview dataset and the frame analysis dataset by showing which sources were used in the news coverage, and were therefore given explicitly the opportunity to promote their own frames of what the referendum was about. The other two datasets(See Related resources below) explore which frames were present in the coverage and how these frames emerged based on the experiences of broadcasters and their political and civil society sources.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...