Rangers fans have railed against BBC Scotland journalist Chris McLaughlin for a sympathetic interview with former owner Craig Whyte on the anniversary of his buying the club.
BBC Scotland and Rangers are currently embroiled in a dispute dating back to 2015 which revolves around McLaughlin’s coverage of arrests in the aftermath of a 6-2 win over Hibs at Ibrox.
This was only the tip of the iceberg after a long line of run-ins with the broadcaster and after the Gers revoked McLaughlin’s press rights the BBC soon began boycotting the club in response.
The situation rumbles on to this day and now the BBC are feeling the strain as their company head describes the situation as a “regret” and Rangers become Champions of the country they cover.
Today marks 10 years since Craig Whyte infamously bought Rangers for £1 before proceeding to cover the bank debt he took on against years of season tickets.
Whyte gutted the club, took the oldco through administration and liquidation, and stands as one of the most loathed figures in Rangers history.
Yet, McLaughlin provided an interview in which Whyte claims he’s the victim in all of this and that he didn’t do anything wrong.
“I thought it was a good opportunity to make a profit,” said Whyte [BBC]
“I don’t believe I did anything wrong.
“I was the guy who was there when it went wrong but I wasn’t the person who caused the problem.”
The short story, which doesn’t go into great depth regarding the circumstances around 2012 or the situation with Whyte, felt like a jab to some fans rather than contrite, newsworthy reporting.
The club’s supporters took to Twitter to once again criticise the broadcaster for what they believe is a latest pot shot/schadenfreude against the club:
https://twitter.com/CraigAtTheTop/status/1390200625955213327
https://twitter.com/RFC1872GER/status/1390218950131204097
https://twitter.com/Jaouija/status/1390216578344566786
https://twitter.com/johnale26465604/status/1390215673406791683
Rangers fans fully and near unequivocally endorse the club’s approach to the media in recent seasons and want to see change in this regard before co-operation is returned.
The club has been involved in at least eight disputes this season as Rangers take a hard-line stance against misleading coverage.
