Daily Record football writers were stenographers for spin-doctors

[ian1964 10,761]

Here's the Daily Record on Craig Whyte in November 2010:

 

"Financial whizzkid Craig Whyte stands on the brink of pulling off the biggest deal of his life...

 

Record Sport understands self-made billionaire Whyte has entered into the final stages of negotiations to buy control of the club he loves from Sir David Murray...

 

A deal worth around £30million is now believed to have reached such an advanced stage that sources say Whyte, a high-roller who splits his time between a home in London and the idyllic Castle Grant in Grantown-on-Spey, could even have the keys to Ibrox in time to fund a major refurbishment of Walter Smith's top-team squad in January...

 

By the age of 26, Whyte was already Scotland's youngest self-made millionaire. Now, 13 years on, and in charge of a vast business empire, his wealth is off the radar."

 

Here's the Daily Record on Craig Whyte in October 2012:

 

"A private investigation commissioned for Rangers showed Craig Whyte had a record of tax avoidance, failed companies and double dealings – before he was sold Sir David Murray's majority shareholding...

 

The report, prepared by private investigators Titon, described Monaco-based Whyte as a 'fuyant' – French slang for an evader or manipulator.

 

It warned there was no evidence to back claims circulated by Whyte's spin doctors that he was a billionaire with plenty of cash to finance Rangers.

 

In fact, it said, there was no evidence he was even a multi-millionaire. The report talks of "the questionable source and extent of his reported wealth".

 

And here's the Daily Record on Craig Whyte in August 2014:

 

"The taxman was chasing Craig Whyte for £3.7million before he took over Rangers. HMRC focused on Whyte's personal finances and made several failed attempts to get him to pay his dues before, during and after his catastrophic reign at Ibrox...

 

Documents seen by the Record show:

 

* The authorities instructed debt enforcers to chase Whyte with a bill for almost £4million and threaten him with bankruptcy in May 2011, the same month that he bought Rangers...

 

* Yet when he struck the notorious deal with Ticketus for funds to finance his Rangers takeover, he gave the firm a personal guarantee he was worth nearly £33million...

 

At the same time he was able to run up a further £15million in unpaid taxes and penalties during his nine months in charge of Rangers.

 

Whyte had bought Rangers for £1 from Sir David Murray in May 2011, while agreeing to wipe out the club's £18million debts...

 

A sizeable proportion of Rangers fans still hold Murray at least partly responsible for the club's demise, arguing he should not have sold to Whyte, whose reputation had already been questioned."

 

Perhaps the fans should be holding the Record to blame as well. When the paper was reporting on Whyte's hyped wealth it failed to mention the fact that serious questions were being asked in the blogosphere about the veracity of his claims.

 

How could the Record know that Whyte was a billionaire with "a vast business empire" and wealth "off the radar"? And when it did know otherwise, why did it take so long to inform Rangers' fans? And why no apology to its readers?

 

Note that 2012 reference to spin-doctors, as if it was all their fault rather than that of the paper's journalists for accepting what they were told without checking.

 

The age-old problem of sports reporting was the willingness of journalists to act like "fans with typewriters" (or, nowadays, fans with laptops).

 

The reporting of the Rangers' saga over the past five years has been a classic example of reporters being no more than stenographers for PRs offering them stories they didn't care to verify.

 

http://www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2014/aug/06/daily-record-rangers

[buster. 5,257]

I think some of the issues talked about apply to much of our news at various levels in todays society.

Real and/or investigative journalism is becoming a rare commodity.

The Fourth Estate is partly becoming more a tool for the 'powerful'.

 

As far as we are concerned, Spin has and is playing a larger part in communications between the club and fans than the 'truth'.

 

Mislead not Inform

Fog not Transparency

Spin not Scout

[Rangersitis 0]

While there is no doubt that the media were used to 'sell' Whyte in the early days, anything negative that was subsequently said about him was attacked by the great majority of the support. Those who refused to not only have an open mind but also tried to smear/silence those who were suspicious, have a lot more to answer for than any rag.

[Frankie 8,663]

I couldn't care less what Greenslade says to be honest.

 

Of course all media use PR companies to place stories. Hardly a new or RFC only phenomenon.

[jhunter 0]

While there is no doubt that the media were used to 'sell' Whyte in the early days, anything negative that was subsequently said about him was attacked by the great majority of the support. Those who refused to not only have an open mind but also tried to smear/silence those who were suspicious, have a lot more to answer for than any rag.

 

This is true but johnston etc biggest failing was not spelling out what whyte was - a crook and that is exactly the language that should have been used.

 

Whyte should have been described as a criminal and the "sale" of the club a con.

 

They kept too quiet and allowed scum at the daily record carte blanche to publish absolute horseshit about him "wealth off the radar" indeed.

[Rangersitis 0]

This is true but johnston etc biggest failing was not spelling out what whyte was - a crook and that is exactly the language that should have been used.

 

Whyte should have been described as a criminal and the "sale" of the club a con.

 

They kept too quiet and allowed scum at the daily record carte blanche to publish absolute horseshit about him "wealth off the radar" indeed.

 

I agree that they could have been more forceful in presenting the extent of their knowledge of Whyte's past, but it could be that they had to abide by certain rules. I also don't know if it would have made much difference to those who were loathe to see anyone connected to the Murray regime remain in control.

[buster. 5,257]

While there is no doubt that the media were used to 'sell' Whyte in the early days, anything negative that was subsequently said about him was attacked by the great majority of the support. Those who refused to not only have an open mind but also tried to smear/silence those who were suspicious, have a lot more to answer for than any rag.

 

The heavy use of spin at Ibrox goes back to SDM bringing Jack Irvine in.

 

As you know, spin isn't only about X on any particular day. It's also about mind-sets that are cultivated overtime and in our case, the push to confuse and divide....making life much easier for those upstairs.

 

The above was one of the main reasons why our support not only swallowed initial reports on CW (understandable) but continued to lap up the bullshit and defend someone that could easily be shown to be 'dodgy'. He even had largely unstinting support after the Ticketus articles and the BBC programme on his directorship ban.

 

Then it all started again with Green&Co.

 

 

Not having an "Open Mind" was in good part down to years of spin and a cultivation of a mind-set, using the ongoing circumstances to your advantage. Not forgetting the Fourth Estates willingness to co-operate.

[buster. 5,257]

I couldn't care less what Greenslade says to be honest.

 

Of course all media use PR companies to place stories. Hardly a new or RFC only phenomenon.

 

The worry is that it is an ever increasing trend due to it's effectiveness (if done well).

eg. Accountability is becoming old hat, why resign when you can call up the spin-doctor to counter-attack.

 

PR people like Irvine are considered successfull but essentially they are often advising on how to best mislead and lie for those who take advantage of average punters.

[Rangersitis 0]

The heavy use of spin at Ibrox goes back to SDM bringing Jack Irvine in.

 

As you know, spin isn't only about X on any particular day. It's also about mind-sets that are cultivated overtime and in our case, the push to confuse and divide....making life much easier for those upstairs.

 

The above was one of the main reasons why our support not only swallowed initial reports on CW (understandable) but continued to lap up the bullshit and defend someone that could easily be shown to be 'dodgy'. He even had largely unstinting support after the Ticketus articles and the BBC programme on his directorship ban.

 

Then it all started again with Green&Co.

 

 

Not having an "Open Mind" was in good part down to years of spin and a cultivation of a mind-set, using the ongoing circumstances to your advantage. Not forgetting the Fourth Estates willingness to co-operate.

 

That is where it all became a bit sinister.

[buster. 5,257]

That is where it all became a bit sinister.

 

Not so much sinister but a process, after nuturing a past seed planted, very well marshalled and managed using ongoing circumstances and the Fourth estate to your advantage.

 

Once the emotional investment is made and moreso if you can tie in an angle that involves Celtic, then you've hooked someone who will blindly follow the line until in this case, Feburary 2012.

 

 

I'll give you 'sinister process'

They ain't called the 'dark arts' for nothing