Most of the references complained of were legitimate reporting of, or comment on, the facts as they were understood at the time.  But one tweet by Tom English, BBC Scotland’s chief sports writer, was expressed in terms the ECU considered inappropriate.  Crowding at the turnstiles had led to claims by Club 1872 that Rangers fans had been “trapped outside” the ground, with consequent risks to safety.  The tweet in question said “‘Trapped outside Rugby Park…’   Trapped outside??  This is execrable stuff”.  On the evidence available at the time Mr English was entitled to question the extent to which fans trying to get into the ground could reasonably be described as “trapped”, but describing an aspect of Club 1872’s statement as “execrable stuff” went beyond what might be considered a reasonable expression of professional judgement, even in the context of the kind of trenchant brevity often expected of tweets.
Partly upheld