Levenson - The Rangers lesson

[D'Artagnan 173]

One could be forgiven for thinking that David Cameron's quick response to Lord Leveson's findings, and his caution about “crossing the rubicon” because of press phone hacking, was derived solely due to a quick scan of the findings, with most of his short focus being on the phone hacking bits.

 

What he has failed to take account of are the many many lives ruined not by phone hacking, but false, erroneous and inaccurate articles. The type of article which one of the witnesses stated drove her son to suicide due to the false articles printed by the press about his murdered sister. Perhaps this was epitomised best by the McCann's who when interviewed cited a newspaper report about them “selling Madeline” rather than any reference to phone hacking.

 

Those of us in the Rangers family have witnessed such press vilification over the last few months. Lies, manipulation of facts, reporting which lacks balance and fairness and often fact, characterise how the Scottish Press have reported the crisis at our club. In fact some, such as the BBC, have been directly responsible for some of that aforesaid crisis, due to their conduct.

 

But David Cameron has a major problem as he tries to convince us that the press are some kind of moral guardians of society and thus should not be exposed to legislative scrutiny. For instance what happens when those moral guardians are themselves immoral ? What happens to that guardianship when members of the press believe themselves to be above the law. ?

 

Where was such guardianship when murder victims phones were being hacked ? The culture of phone hacking seems to have been accepted practice amongst a considerable number of journalists. Where were all the whistle blowers exposing such abhorrent practices ? There is a reckless and cavalier arrogance amongst some of our press much of which has been evidenced during the Rangers tax case.

 

24 hours after a first tier tax tribunal had declared Rangers not guilty Graham Spiers was writing an article about the immorality of EBT. Not bad for a man who had been exposed on national TV hours earlier as a liar. No remorse or apology for his false and damaging accusations, just an attempt to justify them. BBC Scotland and Channel 4's Alex Thomson have followed a similar line.

 

The pen is mightier than the sword – but so too is the poisonous pen. It's not even a month since Lord MacAlpine was falsely accused of being a paedophile by members of the media. How does that fit into Mr Cameron's rubicon ?

 

But emotional damage is not the only by-product of poor, sub-standard and malicious journalism . The coverage of the Rangers use of EBT's has demonstrated there is a financial cost as well. Since the verdict many people have been asking “What if ?”

 

It's a good question. What if the BBC documentary had not been so one-sided and biased would the Rangers name have been less toxic and thus more attractive to buyers if they had not been led to believe the first tier tax tribunal was a foregone conclusion which would not go in Rangers favour ?

 

The recommendation by Lord Leveson that the press requires to be legislated will find little opposition amongst the Rangers support after what we have endured these last months.

 

There is a saying that “society gets the press it deserves”.

 

Perhaps a caveat to that is that the press gets the legislative control it deserves.

Edited November 30, 2012 by D'Artagnan

[Juancornetto 1]

Spot on. Hopefully the media outlets who unashamedly participated in the public lynching of Rangers will be bought to book.

 

*You might want to edit the spelling of Leveson. His full title is Lord Justice Leveson.

[D'Artagnan 173]

Ta - done.

[amms 0]

Well written as ever D'artagnan.

 

I don't mean to be picky but what Leveson proposed yesterday will have no effect on the BBC, his report covers the press only. TV, radio and online content are already overseen by a ruling body which is governed by statute, I'm surprised that hasn't been mentioned more in recent days. If anyone is unhappy with any programme or advertisement broadcast in the UK they can complain to Ofcom. Ofcom have the power to enforce legal sanctions if the law has been broken, impose fines and prevent broadcast, they are independent of the broadcasters and advertisers.

 

The BBC documentary mentioned can be complained about, not to the BBC but to Ofcom if it contained slander, inaccuracies or broke privacy. There is even a complaint of 'fairness' regarding programme content. If anyone wants to complain about that documentary they could then, I imagine they still can now if it's still available to watch on the iPlayer.

[Stimpy 0]

How long can the government and main stream media ignore all of this? Rangers fans, with little resources, are doing the work we expect officialdom to do.

 

That said, it would be great if former, high profile players spoke out.

[D'Artagnan 173]

I realise that AMMS - but if we take Spiers as an example - he crosses the full spectrum of press/media - radio/tv/printed word. The reckless arrogance of which I spoke and which he epitomises, does not alter whether he be in print/on radio or tv.

[ian1964 10,428]

Lifted from FF:

 

Rangers Just Have To Try Harder To Not Be Hated

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Just a wee reminder of this classic at the end of a week where:

 

We have seen a celtic player attend a memorial bash in Dublin for a murdering terrorist gangster, and consort with members of a dangerous dissident terror group.

 

As a result of an article on said bash a female journalist receives a death threat from source or sources unknown, and throughout this whole sorry tale barely registers a mensh in the Scottish media.

 

Hugh priest collector Keevins decides that anyone not supporting Owen Coyle for the Scotiland job is doing so because they have a bigoted agenda against Scots who played for RoI.

 

The authorities and media turn a blind eye to bigoted sectarian chanting glorifying sectarian murderers, gangsters and terrorists at a football match in Scotland's capital city.

 

At the same match violence perpetrated by supporters of one club end in several arrests for violent disorder and not one wee mensh in the Scottish media.

 

I am sure there was more this week. But yes. This is just ONE WEEK in a Scotland where one of the biggest problems is the refusal of the Rangers support to move on and try harder not to be hated!!

[ian1964 10,428]

More Knave Than Brave

http://billmcmurdo.wordpress.com/2012/11/30/more-knave-than-brave/

 

Lord Leveson’s report on the practices of the press is causing a stir at the moment but here in Scotland we have a different media problem.

 

The Leveson Inquiry certainly provided some compelling television in 2012 as famous names including the Prime Minister himself were summoned for some squeaky-bum time.

 

The over-zealous activities of some media people were forensically examined, including the infamous phone hacking scandal that saw News of the World go under.

 

As I said, here in Scotland we have a different media problem.

 

The problem in Scotland is that our media is severely lacking in zeal.

 

That is, when reporting on matters that may cast a bad light on Celtic Football Club.

 

A typical case in point is the story about Celtic player Anthony Stokes attending a Real IRA bash in honour of slain murder gang leader Alan Ryan in Dublin. That this was not headline news in every media outlet in Scotland is a national scandal.

 

What is really disturbing – and worthy of an inquiry at least as probing as Lord Leveson’s – are the underlying reasons why such stories are swept under the carpet here in Scotland.

 

Leveson’s call for further regulation of the media has been met by some opposition from those who deem it censorship. The problem is that the press here in Scotland already practise censorship themselves – stories censored, that is, by a certain football club executive.

 

Scottish media cannot be accused of a lack of enthusiasm in one area, it has to be said. That is, when it comes to reporting on matters concerning Rangers Football Club.

 

Only this week the paper that had the cojones to defy the wrath of Peter Blofeld Lawwell and print the disgraceful antics of Anthony Stokes had to mask it behind their “leading” story – a nonsense article on someone with a criminal record possibly investing in Rangers.

 

Anything that may even remotely reflect badly on Rangers or cast any aspersions on the club is meat and drink to our complicit media here in Rangers-hating Scotland.

 

As we have seen for the past couple of years at least with the BIg Tax Case, it doesn’t even have to be true. The fantasies of bigoted bloggers have been devoured by journos and regurgitated as dogma for the salivating Rangers-haters out there.

 

Why, in Scotland in 2012 you can even get a BAFTA for fiction passed off as factual documentary, it seems. What’s furthermore is you don’t have to hand it back when it is proven to be total pap.

 

Of course, it helps when the National Director of BAFTA Scotland supports the same team and anti-Rangers agenda as the BAFTA winner.

 

Lord Leveson may feel he had a searing time conducting the inquiry into our national press in the UK.

 

But it would be nothing compared to a fully-fledged, no-holds-barred probe into the murky dealings of our bigoted media pack here in Scotland.

 

A clue for Leveson as to how bad things are up here would no doubt be the conduct of First Minister.

 

As was reported in The Telegraph, “Alex Salmond displayed a “striking” willingness to lobby the Government on behalf of Rupert Murdoch after developing a relationship of “mutual respect and admiration” with the media mogul, the Leveson inquiry has found.”

 

Which is a polite way of saying Salmond had his head so far up Murdoch’s backside he couldn’t see.

 

Salmond received the most stinging rebuke dished out to politicians from Lord Leveson.

 

At the very least this suggests inappropriateness in the relationship between politicians and the media in Scotland.

 

What is interesting is that Salmond – with the very public endorsement of Rupert Murdoch – is seeking to tear Scotland away from the UK at this present time.

 

And here we have Rangers – traditionally a bastion of Unionism with a massive pro-British support undergoing a massive attack on the club with full media complicity.

 

Funny, that.

 

Of course, not all of Rangers’ detractors in the media are espousing a Scottish nationalist cause.

 

Some have other reasons for their bigotry and hatred.

 

What is clear is that our media is riddled with those who have a vested interest in seeing Rangers damaged in multiple ways.

 

And that is the reality of life in Scotland in 2012.

 

Much more knaveheart than braveheart it has to be said.

 

Something else you won’t see covered in Scotland’s “Media” -

[The Real PapaBear 0]

"Salmond received the most stinging rebuke dished out to politicians from Lord Leveson."

 

And yet another Mcmurdo blog where black is described as white:

 

This is what Leveson actually said about Salmond: "Judged by what he (Mr Salmond) did, as opposed to what he said he was prepared to do, therefore, he cannot be criticised."

 

Only in the fantasy paranoid world of McMurdo could "He cannot be criticised" be described as "a stinging rebuke".

[forlanssister 3,050]

"Salmond received the most stinging rebuke dished out to politicians from Lord Leveson."

 

And yet another Mcmurdo blog where black is described as white:

 

This is what Leveson actually said about Salmond: "Judged by what he (Mr Salmond) did, as opposed to what he said he was prepared to do, therefore, he cannot be criticised."

 

Only in the fantasy paranoid world of McMurdo could "He cannot be criticised" be described as "a stinging rebuke".

 

On the contrary think Leveson is giving Salmond a non too subtle 'There by the grace of God' type warning.