Leader: 'Uniquely, we back Hearts and Hibs'

Published on Friday 12 November 2010 11:16

When it comes to football, the News has a unique position in Edinburgh - we want both Hearts and Hibs to do well.

While the rest of the city is split down maroon and green lines (aside from those whose backing lies in the west or elsewhere) this newspaper genuinely supports both our SPL teams.

That is why we shared the joy of the two sets of fans when Rangers and Celtic were thumped in midweek - and, for once, surely even Edinburgh's rivals took pleasure in each other's success over the Old Firm.

That's part of our role as Edinburgh's local newspaper, a role which often brings us into an informal partnership with local institutions - not just the clubs, but also all the councils, the police force, the chambers of commerce and others.

At times we work with all of these and more to promote and improve the Capital, and to celebrate the many things which already make life here so good that last week we were again named the UK's top city.

But, inevitably, it is sometimes our duty to report the negative side of life. We wouldn't be doing our job if we didn't sometimes come into conflict with those partners.

That is why, while the News has so far backed plans for a new trams system, we have also led the way in exposing how badly the scheme has been managed. This week we took the city council to task over wasting 200,000 on a propaganda sheet, and we unveiled local police plans to pay officers thousands of pounds a year to take a sabbatical.

In all such cases we try to keep a sense of perspective, and we still report the good as well as reveal the bad.

The same is true of the way we cover Hearts and Hibs, such as today's report about Vladimir Romanov's threat to walk out of Tynecastle and Scotland.

The passion of football fans is such that this is an area of our reporting which gets more feedback than most. We welcome that response, even when it is critical.

And the fact that Hearts fans think we are Hibbies, while Hibs fans regard us as Jambos, seems to be a sign that we get the balance right in our support for both.