Further to my posting this morning, “Why the Guardian rejected an advert about Scottish football”, I have noted on Twitter that a couple of hundred people think I’m guilty of lazy journalism, talking through my head, being a lickspittle, writing lies and being naive.
Among the bones of contention is one that calls into question the veracity of my report that the Guardian was originally sent the advert in French.
So let me state for the record that I have seen the advert sent to the Guardian. It is clearly in French and I reproduce a portion of it as proof.
I restate: the copy for this advertisement arrived at the Guardian in the French language. And there was lots of it too, not just the line I have displayed.
I take on board the fact that I may not have explained the background to this matter as well as I might. But it’s tough to grasp the ins and outs of the dispute.
However, please be assured that I agree that something stinks in terms of Scottish football governance and an independent investigation is required (quite probably by a journalist or journalists drawn from outside Scotland).
Meanwhile, please accept my word, and that of Guardian News & Media, that what I have published is a true representation of what was sent to the newspaper.
