Two Scottish journalists have lost their jobs following a dispute with Rangers.
Graham Spiers, a four-time winner of Scotland’s sports writer of the year award, has left the Herald newspaper after the publication was threatened with legal action due one of his columns.
While Angela Haggerty, who supported Spiers on Twitter, has also lost her column with the Sunday Herald.
The departures stem from Spiers’ column on December 28th, titled “Rangers must uphold progress by resisting return of the old songs”.
The piece has since been removed from the Herald’s website, but in it, Spiers wrote that, although the club had tackled the issue of fans singing sectarian songs, an unnamed director had praised the song “The Billy Boys”.
Rangers made a legal complaint about the claim, and the Herald published an apology earlier this week:
“In a recent column for heraldscotland, Graham Spiers said an un-named Rangers director had praised the song The Billy Boys.
“He also questioned the willingness of Rangers directors to tackle offensive behaviour, and The Herald and Graham Spiers accept this was inaccurate.
We acknowledge every member of the Rangers board is fully committed to fighting bigotry and offensive chanting, wherever it occurs in Scottish football, and that the club is actively tackling the issue.
“We apologise for any embarrassment that may have been caused to the members of the Rangers board.”
However, despite the apology, Spiers maintains he was telling the truth in his column and released a statement earlier today.
“Rangers duly complained to The Herald about my column. As the weeks passed a dispute arose, and the pressure brought upon the newspaper became severe.
The Herald told me repeatedly that they now had to find a way to a public resolution with Rangers. Having searched many avenues to reach an agreement with the club, the newspaper ultimately denied my request to withhold any clarification/apology until my own position was clearer.
The Herald has never told me that they disbelieved my version of events. I also retain the highest regard for Magnus Llewellin, the paper’s editor who has tried to resolve this problem.
My opinion – as expressed in my column – was based on a truthful account of my meeting with a Rangers director.”
Spiers told the The Guardian that his statement was “putting a pile of Semtex under a bridge between me and the Herald,” and Haggerty has also lost her column with the newspaper.
I have been sacked from my Sunday Herald column after expressing solidarity with @GrahamSpiers https://t.co/OHnZNksjhh #Rangers
— Captain Haggerty (@AngelaHaggerty) January 29, 2016
Scottish journalist Robbie Dinwoodie wrote after the decision: “…in 42 years in print journalism I have never come across a worse failure of a newspaper to back a writer than that of The Herald and Graham Spiers.”
The newspaper’s editor has also come under criticism for “pandering to the mob” by the National Union of Journalists.
Meanwhile, Llewellin has denied there were any commercial motivations in the decision.
“While one of our advertisers is on the board at Rangers that was never an issue and we shall continue to report and comment on the pressing issues of the day without fear or favour.”
