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| Lickspittle Traynor Has No Place On BBC |
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| Written by Harry Brady |
| Tuesday, 05 April 2011 23:06 |
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As all Celts know Traynor’s lickspittle journalism with regards Murray has a long history dating back beyond the infamous “succulent lamb” article but Saturday was truly unbelievable. The broadcast media had received a “nod of the head” from Alistair Johnson about the possibility of Rangers going out of business. Rangers then spent Friday afternoon trying to backtrack. Richard Gordon commented on the main media coverage and that of Scotland’s biggest selling tabloids – The Sun running with the majority story, The Record deciding to plough a loan furrow of claiming that everyone was lying.
The debate can be listened to at the link above but it illustrated the problem BBC Scotland have in employing the sports editor of one of our major tabloids as part of their team. That Traynor was invited to defend the editorial line of his paper was acceptable – they basically called BBC journalists liars. That he got the opportunity to discuss and defend his paper at my expense was wrong and this got me thinking of Traynor’s role on license fee funded Sportsound.
BBC journalism is (supposed to be) independent, free from commercial consideration and editorial influence. In contrast to this, and for whatever reason, Traynor and his paper have a clear editorial bias towards David Murray. Despite this Traynor gets a regular platform to promote his newspaper every week. That is fine on a commercial station, but I ask again – is it right that his regular appearances are paid for by you & I?
I am not saying that commercial journalists can never appear on the BBC. I have no problem with a journalist in Traynor’s position hosting a “paper talk” programme on Radio Scotland. Unfortunately Traynor’s style and promotion of his paper sit uncomfortably with me when he is no doubt being paid by the “impartial” BBC to present the programme and during that show is NOT being paid by his newspaper.
I cannot think of another part of the BBC where journalists, intrinsic to the presenting team, are paid employees of another publication: Where panellists intrinsic to the presentation team actually have another job which is their principle form of employment. I don’t have a problem with invited guest on panel shows, or semi regular contributors. I don’t even have a problem with the principle of Traynor being invited on to challenge Chick following their contrasting account of events at the Rangers accounts press conference. But Traynor’s embarrassing performance, his unwavering support for the Rangers PR line, to be frank his lickspittle journalism, have no part on Sportsound for as long as he remains sports editor of the Daily Record. |
Comments
All we can do is complain as I did on this occasion but I fear that our complaints against a pro-Rangers agenda at the BBC will be sorted out by pro-Rangers staff.
You could hear Chick Young say one thing which Jim Traynor would then try and twist to make it out he had said something else entirely in an effort to make his standpoint somehow valid. Mostly revolving around the idea that Chick was calling Alistair Johnston a liar - something he quite clearly didn't.
Further more, he had the audacity to then criticise his journalistic techniques in not pushing for the quote itself. He got a quote to go with it, something he had to repeat several times. While it may not say "yes, Rangers could go bust" it was enough that any educated person could work out what he meant.
Right enough, educated people are hardly the Daily Record's audience, so I could understand why Traynor may struggle with that concept.
It was a very embodiment of everything that is wrong with the gutter press in this country. No interest in reporting the news - just interested in stirring up controversy even where none exists, keeping in with those that drip feed them spin, and more value in the opinions of the writers than the truth.
Of course, perhaps the nod was meant to be off the record and not for print. We know from Graham Spiers on twitter that others at Rangers - namely Walter Smith but I suspect others - are afforded such custom.
http://i55.tinypic.com/5dm7pi.jpg
Vomit inducing stuff.
Just read his piece from your link. Truly, truly nauseating stuff. If I hadn’t read it myself, I would have thought someone was exaggerating if they’d told me about it.
Pass the sick bag!!
It really is a new “succulent lamb” moment in print. Between that article and his radio performance he's not exactly trying to hide what he's all about.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/complaints/handle.shtml
Unless of course he was being deliberately obtuse. Isn't that the same thing as lying Jim?
Or should that be 'deliberately obese'?
(probably both!)
"Sep 22 2008 Traynor
Isn't There Enough In The World To Worry About Without Beating
Ourselves Up Over Line In A Song?
WHAT? You are not offended by the Famine Song? Sorry,but you are a racist.
If your anger doesn't simmer at the very sound of this ditty then you,
my friend, are as bad as the people singing it.
You, too, are tainted by a hatred of Irish Catholics.
That's the logic applied to this little number being belted out by
some Rangers fans.
And you will detest it.
You will abhor it. You will write to your MSPs, MPs, UEFA, FIFA, the
EU and the Vatican.
This is the most divisive, anti-social and downright malicious trend
to be visited upon us yet.
God Almighty, what next?
Falkirk can't be called the Bairns because it might encourage
paedophiles to buy season tickets.
Dundee United shall no longer be known as the Arabs in case it
inflames problems in the Middle East.
Hibernian's ground will have to be renamed so that other religions are
not offended.
Queen of the South can't be called Queens because Republicans and gays
will be upset.
Dumbarton must have a complete name change as it could be deemed
derogatory to people of limited intelligence.
And that brings us back to the offenders and the offended.
There are old folk among us who might freeze to death this winter
because we are all being held to ransom by the power companies.
There are young families who will lose their homes because greedy
bankers and lenders were allowed to vandalise the global financial
system.
And depending on where you live or how much you have saved you might
die because some authorities will not pay for life-saving medication.
These are outrageous. They are national disgraces and should shame
every one of us.
So please, don't tell me a line in a song about the decade-long potato
famine that made people flee Ireland in their tens of thousands in the
middle of the 19th century is what we should be beating ourselves up
about. The Great Famine was aterrible time and it was a disgrace that
so many people were allowedto starve to death or die from related
diseases but surely we have more going on around us today which
demands such levels of disgust.
You know what, a great many of us are sick and tired of the ridiculous
behaviour of groups of Old Firm fans, who aren't even interested in
the game any more.
The only points they seek are the ones they believe they collect every
time they run clyping to a politician.
The line that seems to have offended a number of Celtic fans is
something like: "The famine is over, why don't you go home?"
It's supposed to have enraged one fan so much he put in a complaint
that had Irish diplomats raise concerns with the Scottish government.
Unbelievable, but if any politician even attempts to tell Rangers'
fans to drop it we'll be entering into dangerous times that will
threaten our right to free speech. This line is not inciting violence
against anyoneand it isn't celebrating the fact one million people
died because of potato blight in the 1840s.
If anything the line is mocking the often cloyingly sentimental
longing of Celtic fans for the old country and if you accept that's
all it is then it might even border on humorous.
Actually,if some top comedian,a Billy Connolly or a Frankie Boyle had
said something similar everybody would have been slapping their
thighs.
So when did the gallows humour of the terracing, which for decades has
made us all smile by cutting right through pomposity and
politically-correct boundaries become such a terrible thing?
Look, if Celtic and their fans wish to hang on to and protect their
Irish heritage to the point where it actually seems mawkish that is
absolutely fine. No one has any right to insist they celebrate their
Scottishness instead and, of course, that should mean they have no
right to impose their will on others.
And why is it a shock to them that Rangers fans will react in some
way? Is it really surprising the other lot see this Irishness as
anti-British?
If only we could all just be Scottish and proud, too. Like many Scots
I have fairly strong Irish roots but Ireland isn't my country and
never will be.
I'm sorry if that insults anyone but I am not offended by someone who
doesn't share my view or does not believe that one day we will be a
thoroughly decent, modern and thriving nation.
Somehow I cannot see why this line should offend. And don't start
sloshing in that bilge about how big a race crime it would be if
people were singing our immigrant communities should go home because
the troubles have subsided in their own countries. There are some who
believe they shouldn't be here in the first place and that we should
never allow in asylum seekers but these people are probably racist.
However, if any of these groups took to gathering regularly in
sporting arenas to sing and long for their homelands and the old ways
they, too, might be mocked.
But it wouldn't necessarily be racist. It's called freedom of speech.
It is a fundamental right that must be protected.
We don't all have to support what is said but we should back the right
to say it, provided it is not overtly racist, sectarian or likely to
incite violence.
There is a piousness about some Celtic fans and it's as if this
support can do no wrong.
They seem to have adopted a holierthan-thou attitude yet I have not
heard one person who claims to be upset by that Famine Song line
speaking out against those who sing in support of the IRA or of Nacho
Novo catching a bullet.
Neither have they spoken out about the twisted people who indulge in
the most disgusting and horrible chat on fans'message boards.
Those are what I call offensive but even so I would rather have that
than live in a place where we are not allowed to open our mouths.
In retaliation to the Novo threats Rangers fans contacted Spanish
authorities and that was just as bizarre as the Celtic fan's complaint
to an Irish politician about a stupid song.
Strathclyde Police should have dealt with the threats to Novo because
they were of a violent nature and those Celtic fans on their imaginary
moral high ground should have been more alarmed at that behaviour than
anything else.
So, to all those, of any religion or race, who think Scotland is such
a bad, twisted place full of bigots and racists there is only one
thing to say.
Go.
Go on, just gather up your prejudices, take your suspicions and pack
your loathing of Scotland.
Go find a better place to live and leave us to get on with the job of
making something good of this country."
haha
Contract wise, I don't know how Lenny (and Celtic) would stand if he refused not to attend any press cons at all.
Hail! Hail!
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