This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

Setting the political agenda: the Daily Record's front page on 16 September

The crucial moment during the Scottish referendum campaign was the pledge made by the three English-based party leaders that, in return for voting No, further powers would be devolved to Scotland.

The promise by David Cameron, Nick Clegg and Ed Miliband was published exclusively by the Glasgow-based Daily Record.

Its agenda-setting front page on 16 September, headlined "The Vow", had an enormous impact on the campaign.

According to email correspondence published by Wings over Scotland - a political blog that favours Scottish independence - the Record created the "document."

It took that view after someone, acting on its behalf, asked Miliband's office to provide a copy of the so-called vow. A spokesperson replied:

"There is no official document, it was something that the Daily Record mocked up."

That prompted something of a Twitter storm, but the phrase "mocked up" appears to be a misreading of what actually happened. The Record's editor, Murray Foote, felt obliged to explain in a signed statement on the paper's Facebook page:

"Fact: the three party leaders negotiated and agreed the words used in The Vow. Fact: all three agreed to put their signatures to The Vow. Fact: it was first published in the Daily Record, Scotland's most influential newspaper, and then followed up by every news outlet in the country. To suggest that the lack of an official 'document' is in any way significant or that it reduces Cameron, Miliband and Clegg's commitment to The Vow is wrong. The SNP and Greens currently sit side by side with representatives of the three leaders in the Smith Commission actively negotiating new powers for Scotland - just like it said in The Vow."

However, that response appears to have been misunderstood too. The presentation was the Record's, not the actual words. They were composed on behalf of the politicians and provided to the Record by a trusted source within the Better Together campaign.

So was the front page clever creative journalism, or covert political spin? Clearly, the Wings over Scotland owner, the Reverend Stuart Campbell, sees it as the latter.

The Vow, he wrote, "was solely a confection of the newspaper, who therefore bear the responsibility for it. If and when the time comes, let's all remember who we're holding to account."

I was altogether less exercised by it, even prior to knowing that none of the words were written by the Record. I go with the "clever creative journalism" because the presentation counted as much as the words. It was a stunning intervention in the debate and it is the three party leaders who should be held to account.

The Labour-supporting Record didn't conceal its support for the No vote . But my hunch, given the latest opinion poll dramas facing Labour, is that the paper may well find itself on the wrong side of history if it continues to ignore the surge in support for the SNP and the continuing pressure among the young for independence.

*This blogpost was amended at 1.30pm to take account of information provided by Murray Foote. Apologies to him for the original error, which suggested the paper was responsible for the wording.