Complaint
A viewer objected to the presenter’s reference to Glasgow Rangers FC’s “journey from financial collapse and relegation back to the top of the Scottish game†on the basis that the club had not been relegated in the course of this process. The ECU considered the complaint in relation to the Â鶹ԼÅÄ’s editorial standards of due accuracy.
Outcome
In 2012 Rangers FC, under new ownership, had its application to join the Scottish Premier League rejected and had to apply to join what was then the Scottish Football League, resulting in the offer of a place in the Third Division. This differs from relegation, which is the transfer of a club from one division of a league to a lower one. In the context of the club’s recent history, the difference is a material one, and the ECU judged that the reference to relegation fell short of the Â鶹ԼÅÄ’s standards of due accuracy in news programming of this kind. However, it noted that the situation had been accurately summarised in the report which followed the presenter’s introduction, and that Â鶹ԼÅÄ Scotland had acknowledged the inaccuracy in correspondence with the complainant. In the light of these factors, the ECU considered the issue of complaint to have been resolved.
Resolved