No Blue Room for BBC Scotland

[Guest JCS]

â??Less than half of all Scots back BBC Scotlandâ? thatâ??s what The Scotsmanâ??s Katrine Bussey reported in her article on 17 July, following the publication of the BBCâ??s annual report.

 

Apparently, only 48 per cent of people in Scotland believe the BBC does a good job; the lowest of all the home nations, and a whopping 10% behind our neighbours in England. But I suspect that figure would be nearer 95% (or more) had it been a poll asking Rangers fans how they feel about BBC Scotlandâ??s inaccurate, and often vindictive, reporting of all things Rangers. Still, itâ??s reassuring to know that many decent folk in Scotland take a similar view of BBC Scotland and believe, like most Rangers fans, that theyâ??re being seriously short-changed for the exorbitant £145.50 license fee that theyâ??re now expected to pay for the substandard programming produced by the indifferent and complacent journalists at Pacific Quay.

 

But donâ??t just take my word for it; the Editorial Standards Committee summed it up for most of us when it lambasted BBC Scotland for its lack of â??clarity and precisionâ? when reporting on Rangers Football Club, and when it stated that it, â??had not used clear, precise language and due accuracyâ? in its reporting of our status.

 

As most Rangers fans know clarity, precision and accuracy are not strong points at Pacific Quay â?? well, certainly not when it comes to any story relating to Rangers that is! But with journalists like Mark Daly, Chris McLaughlin, Jim Spence, and the Statler and Waldorf-like, Cowan and Cosgrove, we have come to expect gutter journalism at its most vitriolic and vindictive. Like the two old whingers in the Muppet Show these second rate hacks are trotted out to â??vent their spleenâ?? on Rangers â?? even when there is no obvious reason to do so.

 

They sit in their balcony seats, much like the Muppetâ??s Statler and Waldorf do, and deride any good news story relating to our club, and heckle anyone and anything that is remotely supportive of our club. The fact that there may not be a current Rangers â??storyâ?? to get their teeth into isnâ??t a problem, as they have proved quite adept at attacking Rangers (and Rangers fans) regardless of how unrelated to Rangers a particular story may be or how tenuous the connection is.

 

The BBC continues to provide this disagreeable pack with a forum to vent their collective â??spleenâ?? on Rangers, and they have eagerly and enthusiastically grasped every opportunity to do so. Indeed, so confident are they that they can do, and say, almost whatever they please, that they can dismiss the scathing criticisms of the BBC Trust with the condescending and utterly dismissive statement that, â??We note the findings of the report.â? However, I can assure them that their indifference and disrespect will not be tolerated much longer as Rangers supporters continue to harness their collective strength to challenge the detractors and serial haters of our great club in a more concerted, collaborative and forceful manner.

 

Yet, in spite of the overt bias and belligerence frequently demonstrated by BBC Scotland, there are still those Rangers fans who believe that we should â??build bridgesâ?? with the folk at Pacific Quay. Indeed, there is currently a report circulating that the club may be seeking a rapprochement with the powers that be at BBC Scotland, although I have no confirmation of this and there has been no such statement from the club or its Director of Communications, James Traynor.

 

However, should the rumour prove to be true, then I would be disappointed and angry! I donâ??t think Iâ??d be able to comprehend how our officials could offer the hand of friendship to an organisation that so obviously revelled in our misfortune, and put the boot in so often when we were at our lowest ebb.

 

What short (and selective) memories some people seem to have, when only a few months ago Mark Daly was honoured at the Royal Television Societyâ??s (RTS) Journalism Awards, for his documentary, â??The Men Who Sold The Jerseysâ?; a BBC documentary that was grossly inaccurate, fundamentally flawed, pre-emptive in its conclusions and consciously designed to damage Rangers Football Club in advance of the outcome of the Big Tax Case and the SPL investigation into EBTâ??s.

 

Wasnâ??t it only yesterday that BBC Scotland refused to apologise for the distasteful opening â??death fallâ?? sequence to one of its sports programs, when a caricature of Ally McCoist was seen falling from an Ibrox window? Just a â??creative attempt to set up the clash between Motherwell and Rangersâ?, said an unrepentant BBC spokesperson about this infamous, insulting and disgusting sequence.

 

And donâ??t we all recall â?? as if it was only yesterday â?? Ally McCoistâ??s demand for an apology from BBC Scotland when it emerged that his pre-match press conference had been â??editedâ?? to portray him in an unfair light.

 

â??I wonâ??t speak to anyone from the BBC until I get an apology for a broadcast which went out on Friday night and which, in my opinion, was appalling, said Ally McCoist. â??Having worked in television for a good number of years, I know exactly what went on. I wonâ??t speak to anyone at the BBC. I can handle left-field questions all day long, that wasnâ??t the problem. It was how the whole interview was put across. While they asked the question they showed a shot of me when Iâ??d just answered another question. The whole thing was put together to show I had a flippant attitude towards either religious bigotry or trouble between Old Firm fans. As most people know I donâ??t have a flippant attitude towards those subjects. There was a comment [on air]: â??Well, it might not bother Ally McCoist,â?? but it does bother Ally McCoist.â?

 

These despicable â??episodesâ?? clearly bother the club, and Ally McCoist in particular, but they also bother the fans who are often the object of the snide remarks, unpleasant innuendo and hostile reporting offered up by the likes of Daly, McLaughlin, Spence, Cosgrove and Cowan. Thatâ??s why the club eventually banned BBC Scotland journalists from Ibrox and Murray Park, after accusing them of â??lacking logic, balance and fairnessâ?, when they revealed a leaked document which indicated a plot to sack manager Ally McCoist. Rather than consult the club and seek clarification about the status of the document, the BBC immediately published the story in the full knowledge that it was mischief making yet again.

 

I have no doubt that each and every reader of this article could add many, many more examples of BBC Scotlandâ??s bias and anti-Rangers agenda. Their coordinated attack upon our club is malign and sinister and shows no sign of abating any time soon. Why would an organisation that has been vocal in its opposition to almost everything positive about Rangers, seek to stop their attacks now? Why would BBC Scotland wish to offer an â??olive branchâ?? when so many of its executives and journalists are serial Rangers haters?

 

The relationship between Rangers FC, its fans and BBC Scotland is at an all time low â?? if not irreparable. If there is to be a rapprochement then it is for BBC Scotland to provide the unassailable evidence that it has ditched its anti-Rangers agenda for all time. There are no circumstances in which I would support our club officials making an â??olive branchâ?? approach to the BBC at this time (or in the foreseeable future), in the absence of any tangible evidence that the Pacific Quay â??leopard has changed its spotsâ??.

 

It is my sincere wish that someday soon we will be able to invite the BBC back to Ibrox, and that relations between our respective organisations can be â??normalisedâ??. But, quite frankly, that day is a long way off! When the BBC can demonstrate unequivocally â?? by policy, practice, word and deed â?? that it has discarded its anti-Rangers agenda, and that it will be even handed in itâ??s reporting of all things Rangers, maybe we can invite the BBC back to the Blue Room for drinks and canapés.

 

Maybe after Daly, McLaughlin and the Pacific Quay Muppets have offered their abject apologies to Rangers Football Club, and its fans, for their worst excesses â?? only a few of which are illustrated above â?? can we get back to some semblance of normality and a professional working relationship.

 

Normally I am not one for preconditions, but in this case an abject apology from BBC Scotland is a prerequisite â?? and a minimum one at that! In the meantime Chick Young et al can continue to walk the pavements OUTSIDE Ibrox until that precondition is fulfilled.

[BAP1872 0]

Fantastic article m8, thank you

[der Berliner 3,245]

I'd suggest putting this on the main site!

[barca72 440]

A very clear and precise article

[pete 2,499]

Yes excellent article.

[Tom Davison 0]

Yes, a first class article and can't disagree with one word.

However, one question. Does our club need a working relationship with BBC Scotland ?

[The Real PapaBear 0]

Yes, a first class article and can't disagree with one word.

However, one question. Does our club need a working relationship with BBC Scotland ?

 

One answer: no it does not. Further, it should take every opportunity it can to emphasise the fact that all other broadcasters and media are welcome whilst Pacific Quay are not. It might not matter right now, but when the champions league music starts up again, BBC London might ask why BBC Scotland are covering it from Edminston Drive.

[54andcounting 0]

Jeremy Clarkson of 'Top Gear' in his many observations of all things slagged off the BBC's 'local' stations.

 

We are not alone up here.

[Guest JCS]

Thanks for the positive comments guys. It's most important that we keep the spotlight on BBC Scotland and ensure that we continue to respond forcefully to their worst excesses and their ongoing agenda against our club. I sincerely trust that Rangers are not seeking to reestablish any relationship with the overt Rangers haters at Pacific Quay - unless, of course, they can unequivocally demonstrate - publically , NOT PRIVATELY - that they have discared their agenda against us. Perhaps, James Traynor would care to undate us on the Rangers/ BBC Scotland 'relationship' and the current ban.

[Frankie 8,150]

I don't know of any attempts by Rangers to 'build-bridges' with BBC Scotland. The only mention I've seen of this is by some lad on RM.

 

FWIW, I agree with JCS in that under no circumstances should this change unless BBC Scotland make a clear, public apology. It's my understanding they've offered one privately but RFC have rightly refused this.

 

As such, I'm happy the club have maintained their ban and I'd expect this to remain given BBC Scotland appear to prefer to stoke controversy rather than report fairly.