Keeping the records straight
Posted on
April 10, 2014 by
Rev. Stuart Campbell
The one on the left is for these guys, the one on the right is for these guys.
We particularly like the Scotsman’s use of the word “error”, as in “Whoops, we totally accidentally rewrote this story three times in 24 hours, with four different headlines, in order to make it more and more pejorative and sneery. Tch, clumsy old us, eh?”
Maybe David Maddox was rewriting his article for a laugh, thinking “ha ha, imagine if an article like this actually appeared on the Scotsman website! LOLZ!!!!!” and accidentally pressed “publish”?
Is it not our fault for misinterpreting The Scotsman and that we should apologise? Silly us.
Truth will out.
And thee shall smite thine Enemy until He doth grovel and apologise for His Calumny and folly, and furthermore shall offer thee glorious recompense in the form of thy liberty to exude derisive laughter at thy Victory for Truth.
Something interesting, The Scotsman is blocked at my workplace over here on this side of the world.
My employer realises they are trash too!
I’m confused. Didn’t certain unionist commentators tell us that our fundraiser was a figment of your imagination, with the same fifty quid passing through the indiegogo system 20,000 times, each time being immediately withdrawn and re-donated?
Looking forward to similar retractions about this as well.
The whole newspaper apology thing needs to change. If their story was front page, the apology needs to be on the front page. If the story was on p7 in a small box, a small box apology is fine.
Its not right that they can spread lies on the front page and hide an apology away on p32 next to the adverts for Stenna stair lifts.
Can you imagine the horror of newspaper editors if they had to splash in huge font “Sorry for the error”. Might make them check facts before publishing.
Opens the door for a billboard along the lines of,
“The Scotsman and other papers lie to the Scottish people. For details go to Wings Over Scotland”
Could be worth a try.
The Scotsman have a line they push relentlessly. They are biased, dishonest and devoid of integrity. A bit like most newspapers come to think of it but worse than most because it has pretensions to being a serious paper, unlike say the Record or the Mail or the Express. The Scotsman is living on past glories when it was a decent paper. I wouldn’t give it house room. I can’t even bring myself to participate on their comments boards.
Might sound a bit bitter but it was my paper and even when I lived down south in the 80s I still used to get it. I despise what it has become.
Oh, that’ll leave a mark. 😀
Ian
If their story was front page, the apology needs to be on the front page.
Isn’t that what Levinson was trying to establish, that the Fourth Estate has become a corrupt law unto itself?
@Ian Anderson
“Might make them check facts before publishing.”
No way! That’s what proper journalists do.
You can’t expect these little puppets to check up on everything they’re told to print, can you? 😉
THOU SHALT smite.
/pedant
“UKOK journalists are idiots shock!” Who knew. Ever read vote NO Severin Carrell? “It’s The Scotsman Wot Won It” 19th Sept teamGB victory edition?
Perhaps a wee line to the Press Complaints Commission, as if your complaint is upheld, then they are duty bound to place the apology with equal prominence.
Excellent news on both piecs of information. Well done!
PS
Macart is that the new you, cool 🙂
So, David Maddox is a liar.
Good to have his employer confirm it.
Obviously the one on the left was a “genuine mistake” and the other one was Stu. in cahoots with indiegogo!
Man, I could write for the “Scotsman” too…easy peasy! 🙂
As little as this was, they would have had gritted teeth writing it.Just shows though that no matter who they are, they can be caught telling lies and pilloried for it. Especially when people get the bone between their teeth, eh Stu !
Sorry to go o/t so soon in Stu but this is cheering news:http://www.yesscotland.net/news/new-poll-yes-47-strong-majority-would-vote-yes-indyref-if-better
Ian
If their story was front page, the apology needs to be on the front page.
Couldn’t agree more. I don’t really understand why there isn’t more of a push for this from everyone. I remember I while back I heard Heather (I’ve forgotten her name, ex-Mrs McCartney) calling for it and I emailed her giving my support for it as she seemed to be the only person on TV or in the press calling for it.
It’s not going to happen under Westminster it seems but I think under an Independent Scotland this should be looked to be brought in. We need a responsible press.
Ian Anderson rightly says “The whole newspaper apology thing needs to change. If their story was front page, the apology needs to be on the front page. If the story was on p7 in a small box, a small box apology is fine”.
Its up to Holyrood to pass a law that says an apology must be printed in exactly the same place a lie – sorry error – was printed. In the same size type with the same headlines. Maybe then this immoral media of ours would think again. It’s the same with TV when they occasionally admit error. Certainly with the E.B.C. its said after the news titles are finished and people are getting up to put the kettle on. It should be a grovelling news item
What that poll Bill C linked to shows is that people WANT Scotland to be independent – they just need to be convinced that Scotland CAN be independent. That 12% who are currently planning to vote No but would switch to Yes if they thought Scotland would be better off are your typical “I’d *like* Scotland to be independent, but how would we afford it?” folk.
That’s the fear factor. We need to get these people to see past that and realise that Scotland is a fundamentally rich nation, and that we should be in a better position than we are now within the UK.
Sometimes it’s not the misdeed but the less than fullsome apology that damns.
The Scotsman found out…again!!
Journalistic integrity is based on the principles of truth, disclosure, and editorial independence. Can the mainstream media types who are reporting on the Referendum really look at themselves in the mirror and say that they have integrity? It is evident that many of them are merely following their paymasters’ mantra.
The use of yellow journalism is commonplace, but in this age of instantly accessible information, lies and deceit are exposed just as quick as they appear.
Come on media guys and girls you can do much better, your professional reputation is on the line every time you publish or broadcast biased or poorly researched material. There are exceptions: they know who they are and so do we.
Cant believe that crowdsourcing company charges 9%! How very dare they!
Some things never change.
”It is perfectly true that these gentlemen wish to march through rapine to disintegration and dismemberment of the Empire, and, I am sorry to say, even to the placing of different parts of the Empire in direct hostility one with the other.”
Quoted from W. E. Gladstone – (United Kingdom Liberal politician and Prime Minister). On the Irish Land League in a speech at Knowsley, 27 October 1881, reported in, “The Times”, 2 October 1881.
O/T but I haven’t been able to post since last night, so I’m just checking to see if there is a problem.
There is a spinning blue wheel at the top which won’t stop -any ideas?
@Call me Dave.
Macart and I are from the same gnatnest!
Floats like butterflies. Sting like bees!!
I think Wings should challenge them over their “error” an error is normally a one time mistake. Not the case here, not what the evidence would point to. Ask them to explain themselves and let them dig a deeper hole for themselves.
David McCann
You too! 🙂 gnat’s enough!
Scotsman painted itself into a corner there. No way out on this occasion, caught while the paint was still wet.
Should the last line of the apology not read ” the error is sorry for the Scotsman”!
Mainstream media types have integrity? Look at how the Daily Mail selected and went after YES voters around Scotland merely because these people were online for the why and where they vote Yes. Or the great Severin Carrell of the liberal/progressive/antidemocracy Scotland Guardian, calling WingsoverScotland Glasgow SPT tube ads “an attack on Scottish journalism.” That alone spoke volumes about the mindset of UKOK hacks like that dude. Who knows what they’re planning in the run up to polling day.
@call me dave
Oh, just a little something I ran up for fun. 🙂
The MSM will not change direction now or after the referendum. This includes the BBC and their supposed proposed guidelines.
After the referendum (if it’s a yes) they will continue, as now, in order to try and pressurize the SG during negotiations.
In the event of a yes vote most powers will be transferred almost immediately, with only the powers which need negotiation left outstanding.
I would expect the powers over elections, media and broadcasting to be amongst the first.
In the event of these powers being transferred to Scotland the BBC will be the biggest casualty, as a Scottish state broadcaster will be created.
Westminster will have to constitute a whole new charter for the BBC, and politicians at Westminster will this as an excuse to curb the BBC’s powers, as many already complain it has grown too powerful.
Concerning the newspapers. They know what to expect in the event of independence and that will be legislation to govern ownership, a proper and transparent complaints body and new liable laws. The kind of things all normal democracies take for granted.
It will also be extremely difficult for the newspapers to be seen to be out of step and out of tune with the state broadcaster, as being so would only serve to highlight bias.
Everybody has everything to play for. I think it’s going to be a very long 6 months.
Survation VI figures (should be close to what is finally reported if they are – I’ve extracted from cross-tabs):
Holyrood:
45% SNP
32% Lab
14% Con
6% Lib
4% UKIP
Westminster:
41% SNP
34% Lab
15% Con
6% Lib
3% UKIP
EU (actual reported headline figures from survation):
39% SNP
30% Lab
13% Con
7% UKIP
6% Lib
4% Green
Result (MEPs / % share of MEPs), as per all recent polls:
3 (+1) / 50% SNP
2 (nc) / 33% Lab
1 (nc) / 17% Con
May is going to be a disaster for the pro-union campaign by the looks of it. UKIP to take second place or win the EU elections according to polls. Not in Scotland of course.
If those Westminster VI figures are near correct for Scotland, labour would take a pounding with a majority of MPs for the SNP.
The natural majority exists.The Govt and their press and broadcast buddies need to work overtime to suppress it.
http://www.snp.org/media-centre/news/2014/apr/snp-lead-over-labour-grows-16-points
Largely in line with my post. Final VI figures.
The only thing the Scotsman are sorry about is being caught out.
My dad still buys the Scotsman every day as he has done for over 60 years. I am not sure why, perhaps habit or some misguided loyalty. However all its biased reporting does not seem to have any effect on him at all.
He is going to vote Yes.
But I suppose he does use it for lighting his fire so perhaps it does have some useful purpose after all.
@Dr JM – But I suppose he does use it for lighting his fire so perhaps it does have some useful purpose after all.
Ah the old paper kindling..getting nostalgic now.. paper kindling – firelighters – wooden kindlers – wee bit coal and light her up..must remember to empty ashpan..lost the fire a few years ago now got wet electric so flick switch instead of sparkin match
Many congratulations on reaching your funding total, Stuart. A truly remarkable achievement and possibly an entirely new model for funding online content. Perhaps this can be an example of how new media can defeat the vested interests of old.
Could I please ask you to give another shout out to Women for Indy’s campaign at some point over the next couple of days: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/women-for-independence-our-voices-fundraiser
They have just £4k left to go, and the importance of persuading women of the merit of a yes vote could be vitally important to securing victory in September.
Johnney come lately says:
American War of Independence took 2year to negotiate peace treaty with the defeated British Empire.