Jim White’s comments on fan media at Celtic and Rangers drew some strong reactions.
White questioned whether fan media belonged with ‘real journalists’ last week, in reaction to a back-and-forth between Russell Martin and a participant after his side’s 2-0 defeat to Hearts.
Brendan Rodgers’ press conferences often feature representatives of Celtic podcasts and outlets, in a setup fairly unique within British football.
Former Sky Sports News anchor White, who now presents Talksport alongside Simon Jordan, took issue with the idea that they were allowed to participate in media conferences.
Now, in response to backlash, he has clarified his position.
Jim White on fan media at Celtic and Rangers
White interviewed one member of a Rangers podcast on his show on Tuesday, in an attempt to see things from the other perspective.
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His comments after his interview came across as a bit of a backtrack. His mind has perhaps slightly changed since last week.
White said: “We were talking about the fact that fan media gets access to the likes of Russell Martin’s news conference at Rangers and Brendan Rodgers’ news conference at Celtic.
“Is it right that they get access like that? I don’t deny that they have any right to be in there. We move with the times and I totally accept that.
“But I felt that in this instance, Russell Martin had his back against the wall, and it sounded like a fan asking the questions, didn’t it? And the phraseology was very much a fans’ phraseology. It became one man’s gripe to the Rangers manager.”
That there are issues with the incident White mentions is difficult to deny. But it is far from the first time we have seen something like this at a news conference.
Does fan media belong at Celtic media conferences?
Given the unique angle that fan media can come from, they offer a welcome diversity to the questions Rodgers faces in the media.
Some argue that they lack the professionalism of mainstream journalists – but given that they have been involved with the club for multiple years, this is evidently not the case at Celtic.
White’s comments about ‘real journalists’ was condescending towards football fans, whose voices matter just as much as anyone.
Ironically, his views seem to have changed with the persuasion of one member of fan media.
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