ALEX Salmond has revealed that he has spoken to newspaper mogul Rupert Murdoch over the past few days but is in the dark over whether the tycoon's newspapers will back independence.
The First Minister said he had spoken to the News Corp chief by phone "a few days back" but that he had no indication of whether his titles, including the Scottish Sun, will come out in support for or against a "Yes" vote this week.
Mr Murdoch also owns The Times and Sunday Times, with the latter title commissioning the recent YouGov poll that showed support for independence was ahead. The 83-year-old, accompanied by The Sun's editor David Dinsmore, flew by private jet to Aberdeen, Fife and Glasgow, where he was pictured in a pub as he tried to gauge the mood of the country. Asked whether he thought the papers would support a "Yes" vote, Mr Salmond replied: "I have no idea. Mr Murdoch is capable of making up his own mind."
In recent days, Mr Murdoch has expressed on Twitter his admiration for Mr Salmond and the Scottish people, leading to speculation that the Scottish Sun would back a "Yes" vote. However, he also raised concern over groups associated with the "Yes" campaign, referring to "far-left socialists and extreme greenies". Mr Murdoch appeared to criticise the SNP plan of "passing sovereignty to Brussels", saying the party was "not talking about independence."
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