To the Independent journalist who (mis)quoted me... | Vital Football

To the Independent journalist who (mis)quoted me...

gordonbankole

Vital Reserves Team
Dear Sir

Firstly, I fear your credibility might take a battering if you feel my words about BFC are worth a national airing. However, forgetting that, let's examine what I said on here and what was printed by your esteemed publication. Firstly me:

Can someone tell me what The Crab offers to the team? I've tried to like him, but all I see is constant slowing down of the game and a nosebleed as soon as he gets anywhere the penalty area.

Your version of the above:

Can someone tell me what JOHN SWIFT offers to the team? I've tried to like him, but all I see is constant slowing down of the game and a nosebleed as soon as he gets anywhere near the penalty area.


Apart from the fact I don't really appreciate things being reproduced without my permission, it was more than a touch presumptuous and totally incorrect of you to suggest that I was referring to John Swift, who in fact did not even play in the game I was commenting on, after his little faux pas on social media. If you actually followed the thread downwards, it would be very obvious who I meant. So basically you completely misrepresented my post on here, which frankly equates to very poor journalism. Also, if you knew anything about John Swift, he doesn't go sideways much, is fairly direct and has a bit of an eye for goal, so there's another reason why you have not done your job very well here.

Can I therefore suggest that next time you quote me, you either take something that's very obvious in its meaning so you don't have to guess what I'm talking about, or PM me on here if you need any clarification about anything where the meaning is a bit cloudier? Better still actually, quote somebody else as I prefer my comments to remain within the BFC community.

In brief, I realise that trawling through football message boards is hardly a scintillating occupation, but at least if you're going to do it, can we have a bit of accuracy and not rely on a poor level of guesswork, please?

Yours faithfully

Gordon
 
Pretty slippery of whoever it was that changed and then used your post on a forum into a news story. Worse that it topped the Brentford News 24/7 feed for a while afterwards. Shows what can happen and how quickly stuff can go viral. You're right to raise it for everyone's benefit.

 
Dear "Respected Journalist"

You blatantly changed what I said and called this journalism. You still haven't apologised however many weeks on. Therefore, in the same way as everyone's favourite club employee would do, if you don't acknowledge your blatant error within the next seven days, I shall be forced to take legal action and make an official complaint (and we all know how much complaints against the press have an effect).

Regards

A rather irate Gordon.