BBC Scotland has again attempted to rewrite history with it’s take on the Siri v ‘Rangers’ row.
While commercial organisations pander towards their advertisers the state broadcaster is paid to deliver objectivity based on facts.
As well as being in crisis and ‘financial meltdown’ in 2012 Rangers Football Club went into liquidation.
The club that completed the 2011/12 season didn’t take part in the 2012/13 SPL, League Cup or Scottish Cup. Motherwell took their place in the Champions League qualifying round.
The club formed by Charles Green was given a place in the Third Division, they took part in the first round of the League Cup and Scottish Cup. They lost in the Challenge Cup to Queen of the South.
Despite the spin and manipulation the sentences above are 100% factual. There was no demotion or relegation. One club went into liquidation, a process continuing to this day, while a new debt free club was formed and welcomed into Scottish football.
Thanks to the rewriting of history by the BBC and others, supporters of the Ibrox clubs are under the impression that the events of 2012 were similar to the administrations that Motherwell, Dundee, Hearts and Dunfermline have survived in recent times.
Hearts fans are still paying subscriptions to pay off Ann Budge who saved the club from liquidation. Rather than blowing money on ageing footballers Hearts supporters are paying off the debt agreed through a CVA.
At Ibrox the supporters looked in vain for a sugar daddy then walked away, leaving their club for dead.
However, as they report the news that Siri said that the club from Ibrox was founded in 2012 the BBC have claimed: “When the Siri voice-activated assistant is asked “When were Rangers formed?” it replies “Wednesday, December 19, 2012” instead of the 1872 date Rangers began.
“Siri is taking its information from the Wolfram Alpha search engine.
“The 2012 reply refers to the initial public offering on the stock exchange.
“Rangers Football Club plc entered administration in February 2012 and were subsequently liquidated under the ownership of Craig Whyte.
“The club’s assets were bought for £5.5m in June 2012 by a consortium led by former Sheffield United chief executive Charles Green.
“Rangers then played in the bottom tier of Scottish football before gaining promotions through the divisions to secure their place in the Premiership.
“Other variations of the question do bring up web searches with fuller information on the history of the club.”
With fiction like that the demands grow for the ending of the licence fee, predictably there is no by-line given against the article on the state broadcasters website.
Perhaps a look at the now worthless share certificates of Rangers Football Club will help the BBC in future.