Heart & Hand founder David Edgar has requested the Daily Record does what it demanded of Rangers and ceases to work with football clubs whilst an investigation is launched into hate tweets attributed to its journalists.
The Scottish tabloid launched an attack on popular podcasting platform Heart & Hand last week as three of the group’s contributors were publicly shamed for inappropriate historic tweets.
Two of the three have since apologised and stepped down, whilst David Edgar has rallied to stand up to the newspaper, who also demanded Rangers annul their media partnership with Heart & Hand until an investigation was concluded.
An apparent whistle-blower said:
“If Rangers are really serious about that campaign then they should terminate their official partnership with this podcast.”
Labour MP Paul Sweeney – who is himself now being scrutinised for alleged sectarian and anti-Semitic tweets dug up by Rangers fans following the story – would then say:
“The very least that should be expected from Rangers FC while an investigation takes place is a suspension of any media passes given to those who face the allegations.”
Edgar believes the eagerness to see press passes revoked concerns the fact Rangers do not work with the Daily Record and are now charging media outlets to enter the press room.
However, the situation has now spectacularly backfired as Heart & Hand’s subscription count increases by 40% and fans dig up some incredibly offensive tweets belonging to Daily Record journalists.
These allegedly include hundreds of sexist, homophobic, transphobic, racist, sectarian, anti-Islamic and offensive tweets of varying intensity and an investigation has now been launched by the newspaper themselves.
Also revealing that the two podcasters involved in the original Record story will now take part in Rangers’ own Everyone, Anyone Stop rehabilitation campaign, Edgar demanded consistency.
Taking to YouTube to state his case, the Heart & Hand owner said:
“I just want to sit here and ask the Daily Record if they will abide by the same conditions which they asked us to abide by.
“Will they apologise for this? Will the members of staff be disciplined? And given that the Daily Record said that any organisation who are facing an investigation for this should have their press privileges revoked, can I take it that the Daily Record will be voluntarily agreeing not to cover any Scottish football matches whilst any of their staff who are under investigation for hate tweets are investigated?
“All I’m asking for is parity. I am literally asking you Daily Record to do what you wanted me to do.
“Because if you don’t, then it’s going to look like you weren’t really concerned about the tweets in question but you were just on a vendetta against somebody that you didn’t like.”
Rangers fans continue to put the pressure on the newspaper as tweets continue to pop up online and they are compiled by supporters eager to support Heart & Hand.
Many Rangers fans threw their support behind Heart & Hand and David Edgar after the story regarding the H&H contributors’ tweets initially broke.