Colin Randall writes: football clubs that ban journalists or their employing newspapers, agencies or TV/radio stations usually look faintly ridiculous. It is not the job or duty of news organisations to kowtow to authority. I could also tell stories about ministries, companies, charities and other organisations that shamelessly break their own embargoes (eg to ensure a ‘big hit’ in one chosen media outlet). But if The Sun broke an agreed embargo on team news, as opposed to finding out about it by proper journalistic inquiry (‘proper’ would take a few pages of Salut! Sunderland to discuss), then SAFC has a point. They – by extension we – are engaged in a desperate battle against a potentially ruinous relegation and a reporter who disregarded a clearly agreed embargo would surely be naive not to expect consequences).
Nic Wiseman, co-founder and co-editor of the much-missed 1990s fanzine It’s The Hope I Can’t Stand (ITHICS) and @ithics1 at Twitter, offers his own thoughts …
