When Roy Greenslade writes on the subject of journalism then the British media village takes heed.
He has been a central figure in print journalism in the UK for more decades than he could care for me to mention.
In the Guardian media page he has his own tab.
He is also a professor of Journalism at the City University in London.
Subsequently, it is little wonder that his words carry weight in the British media.
Firstly I will declare an interest.
I know Roy and we’ve met both professionally and personally.
It is fair to say that on matters apropos Irish politics we see the world in a very similar way.
That, of course, in no way diminishes the power of his analysis or the weight that his words carries in British media circles.
Subsequently, Roy’s decision to write about the ‘Charlotte Fakeovers’ leaks is indeed news.
He was intrigued at the failure of the Scottish mainstream media to be across this story.
The first to break ranks in Scotland was The Drum a marketing magazine that usually does puff pieces for the advertising industry.
However, rather surprisingly real journalism temporarily broke through at the marketing mag and they examined the Charlotte Fakeovers phenomenon.
Despite the mainstream tentatively playing catch up on this, people who are interested in what Lady Charlotte chooses to reveal have not been waiting to see it in print or hear it on radio.
This may be another example of how Twitter is now seen as a reliable source of news untouched by PR and containing no traces of succulent lamb.
These revelations are the equivalent of WikiLeaks for Planet Fitba.
I have no way of knowing whether or not the material leaked by this Twitter account is genuine.
However, I know of several senior journalists who believe it be entirely authentic.
Of course those named in these leaked emails could come forward and simply make a statement that the emails and audio tapes are clever forgeries.
So far they have declined to comment.
As The Drum notes, Media House owner Jack Irvine figures largely in the leaked material.
In telling the Rangers story from 2008-2012 I increasingly realised the influence of PR companies on the dialogues and debates within Scotland’s national game.
Firstly over the Famine Song controversy and then onto my work into the financial terminal illness that the Ibrox club had contracted under the stewardship of Sir David Murray; it was clear that I had stumbled upon news management of industrial proportions.
For this to work it has, of course, to remain hidden from view.
Jack Irvine might well be keeping his head down at the moment as Lady Charlotte seems like a woman scorned.
Over the years many powerful people have found themselves in a difficult situation because of leaked emails that they would rather remain hidden from view.
The BBC even managed to collate enough of them to have a brilliant series on the subject.
Of course, veterans of this site will know how pesky emails have undone the mighty on Planet Fitba before we ever knew of the lovely Lady Charlotte.
The potential reputational damage for many of those who figure in these leaked documents is considerable.
Once more I will declare an interest.
It would appear that I have been mentioned in dispatches by the folks at the top of the marble staircase on more than one occasion over the years.
It would seem that my work-mainly on this site- has caused some unease in dignified quarters.
Nothing personal of course, it’s just business.
The content of the ‘Charlotte Fakeovers’ leaks means that the dismissive slur of ‘paranoid’ that was often flung at Celtic supporters over the years from Scottish sports journalists now seems very hollow indeed.
Now that Roy Greenslade has written about the failure of the Scottish mainstream media to engage with the ‘Charlotte Fakeovers’ story then they cannot ignore it any longer.
