BBC’s Sarah Smith relieved to escape Scottish ‘bile and hatred’

Former Scotland editor says she repeatedly experienced gendered abuse while doing her job

Sarah Smith, the BBC's former Scotland editor, has said she feels relieved to have left the country after enduring years of misogynistic bile and hatred" while covering Scottish politics.

Smith, the recently appointed North America editor for BBC News, said she repeatedly experienced gendered abuse while doing her job, which led her to significantly reduce her use of Twitter and to fear she had become a visible target.