View all newsletters
Sign up for our free email newsletters

Fighting for quality news media in the digital age.

Liverpool reporter attacked for joining Sun publisher

By Press Gazette

The Liverpool Echo’s dedicated Liverpool FC reporter, Chris Bascombe, has received violent threats and been the subject of written abuse on online football forums after accepting a job on the News of the World.

Many Liverpudlians have boycotted the NoW’s daily stablemate, The Sun, ever since it carried negative stories about Liverpool football fans in the aftermath of the Hillsborough disaster in 1989 which resulted in the deaths of 96 people.

A number of unofficial Liverpool FC websites including Red All Over the Land (raotl.co.uk) and Red and White Kop (rawk.co.uk) carried a series of malicious postings about Bascombe for moving to the News International title to become Merseyside reporter this month.

Many of the comments were abusive and obscene, calling Bascombe a Judas and a sell-out. One, posted under a pseudonym, even expressed the wish that he contracted Aids.

In response, Bascombe posted his own comment on raotl.co.uk blaming anger about his job move on a ‘conservative’group of people who had an ‘entrenched belief in the permanent righteousness of the past.’He also posted his phone number inviting people to make their criticism directly to him.

He wrote: ‘The News of the World is not The Sun, never has been and never will be. There’s never been a Merseyside boycott of the News of the World.

‘To those people (on other sites) who’ve condemned my decision, issued threats and written lies about my situation, I say thank you. In attempting to damage a reputation without having the decency to check your facts, or approach me for an explanation of my decision, you’ve behaved like the gutter journalists you claim to be on a moral crusade against.

Content from our partners
MHP Group's 30 To Watch awards for young journalists open for entries
How PA Media is helping newspapers make the digital transition
Publishing on the open web is broken, how generative AI could help fix it

‘The difference is, journalists have to put their names and a point of contact behind their allegations, rather than hide behind alter-egos or pseudonyms.”

Bascombe, who has written on Liverpool FC at the Echo for seven years, has been named sports writer of the year at the North West Newspaper Awards for the past five years running.

Topics in this article :

Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog

Select and enter your email address Weekly insight into the big strategic issues affecting the future of the news industry. Essential reading for media leaders every Thursday. Your morning brew of news about the world of news from Press Gazette and elsewhere in the media. Sent at around 10am UK time. Our weekly does of strategic insight about the future of news media aimed at US readers. A fortnightly update from the front-line of news and advertising. Aimed at marketers and those involved in the advertising industry.
  • Business owner/co-owner
  • CEO
  • COO
  • CFO
  • CTO
  • Chairperson
  • Non-Exec Director
  • Other C-Suite
  • Managing Director
  • President/Partner
  • Senior Executive/SVP or Corporate VP or equivalent
  • Director or equivalent
  • Group or Senior Manager
  • Head of Department/Function
  • Manager
  • Non-manager
  • Retired
  • Other
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
Thank you

Thanks for subscribing.

Websites in our network