ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ

We were contacted by a number of readers who were unhappy that our article Refugees in Scotland 'living in fear' following riots was accompanied by an image of rioting in England and that the headline didn’t include where this rioting took place.

We believe this was a very important story to tell, to ensure that the experiences and fears of some communities in Scotland were accurately reflected – Scotland’s first minister and other party leaders were also in the news that week recognising the fears held by communities of faith and other groups in Scotland, in relation to the rioting in England and Northern Ireland.

Headlines are a summary and cannot give all of the details of a story. While there is a desire to provide as complete a summary as possible in a headline, space is also a factor and consideration is given to such things as audience comprehension, of which pre-awareness is a factor.

The lead paragraph in the article provided the further detail and context that: β€œPeople in the asylum system in Scotland are living in "constant fear" following days of violent riots in other parts of the UK, the chief executive of the Scottish Refugee Council has said.”

The caption to the lead image in the article also conveyed that it was illustrative of these β€œriots in other parts of the UK” and explained that: β€œMore than 400 people have been arrested following violence in England and Northern Ireland over the weekend”

We acknowledge the concerns we received about the framing of this article with its lead image and headline; in particular, how it came across on the home page/indexes and on social media prior to seeing the full article. It was certainly not our intention to cause any offence.

Furthermore, this piece forms part of our wide-ranging coverage of the riots, which has included an article specifically looking at why there haven't been any, to date, in Scotland: Why Scotland may have avoided far-right unrest