I often enjoy beautiful mornings in the Wolds, where birds sing and the rolling fields remind me why I love this country.
But as any Lincoln City fan knows, even on those peaceful dog walks (where I record videos which led to this article), you can’t truly escape the bustle, not of the city, but of the City. Today’s walk brought reflection, not just on Lincoln’s transfer activity, but on how easily false narratives take hold, often because of the way modern media operates.
Take this week’s headline: “Bristol Rovers beat Wigan and Lincoln to Macaulay Southam-Hales.” Seems harmless, right? But it isn’t. Because as far as I’m aware—and as reported on this very site after checking with a club source—Lincoln City were not in for the 29-year-old right wing-back. No contract offer, no serious interest. And yet the story was out there. And now, a portion of the fanbase believes we’ve missed out on a player who never figured in our plans.
The Danger Of A Second Headline
It’s not the initial report that frustrates me. Football League World, which I respect and have even contributed to, isn’t making things up. They work within regulations on NewsNow; they’re not the bad guys here. The issue comes with repetition. Once a piece of information exists—even when debunked—its persistence creates a kind of perceived truth.
By the time Southam-Hales signed for Rovers, the story had evolved from “interest” to “losing out.” For fans who hadn’t seen the rebuttal or the context, it seemed like Lincoln were snubbed, or had failed. And that’s where narratives become dangerous. The noise fills the vacuum, and suddenly the transfer window feels like a failure based not on fact, but on headlines.
When Assumption Becomes ‘Fact’
It’s not just Southam-Hales. It’s Adam Jackson too. “He wants to move back up north,” say the rumours. But has he said that? No. Not to me. Not publicly. Not on the radio. It’s a narrative built from house sales and hearsay.
And then there’s JJ McKiernan. Jez George said our ambition was for him to come back and get minutes in pre-season. That’s not a guarantee. That’s a hope and a desire. But the reaction to his loan move was disbelief. “He was promised minutes!” “He wasn’t even given a chance!” But that’s not what was said, as I proved recently. And yet it’s what people believe, because we want clarity from the club—but only the kind of clarity we agree with.
The Modern Media Conundrum
This is the bind. I want accurate Lincoln City information out there. But I also want content. I want to give fans something to read every day. That’s what we do on The Stacey West. But to achieve that, especially in quieter weeks, you have to keep digging. And sometimes, in this media economy, digging is replaced by echoing.
We’re in a strange era. Thirty years ago, we all kept diaries and got angry if anyone read them. Now we broadcast every opinion and get angry if no one listens. We want the club to be transparent, but once they are, every word gets picked apart for hidden meaning.
Things like the BBC Radio Lincolnshire interview with Harry Toffolo gets people talking, but then Cornell suggests we’re in for him. Of course, we’re not and we know what Cornell is about, but other fans see that and make something of it. Suddenly, the club lack ambition because we’re not chasing a £35,000 per week defender (or whatever he was on). Where does that narrative stem from? A need to put out content, in this case, Radio Lincolnshire.
I’m as guilty as anyone. I’ve built headlines to get eyes on stories for other outlets. “Former Leeds man set to sign for Yorkshire rivals.” – that could have been Paudie leaving City with Huddersfield interested. We (stay-at-home journalists) all do it. That’s the nature of the beast. But that beast feeds a fandom always on edge. Always looking for meaning, blame, injustice.
When Facts Are Not Enough
I’ve put my time into researching stories before and I try to tell the truth. But even then, you get accused of rose-tinted bias. The story confirming JJ’s loan suggested it was player-led. That’s not an opinion, that’s fact, based on what was written and confirmed. But someone replied with a GIF mocking me for red-and-white-tinted spectacles. No—I can just read.
I look back through old editions of the Echo. June 1987: no news for days. A player linked here, another one missed there. No web, no forums, no twenty-four-hour analysis. Now? We do three JJ stories in 24 hours, a podcast and Twitter debate. In 1993, that would’ve been two short 150-word Echo write-ups and a couple of letters to the editor days later. Maybe.
So Where Do We Go From Here?
Maybe I yearn too much for quieter times. But I also love what I do. I love the passion, the interaction, the constant buzz around our club. And as long as it exists, I’ll keep trying to present the facts as they are, not how they’ve been twisted.
Because here’s the truth:
- We weren’t in for Southam-Hales
- Adam Jackson has never said he wants to leave
- JJ’s loan was led by him, not a failure of club policy.
Those are the facts. But it takes effort to see them. And in this age of instant opinions, effort is a rare commodity.
Up the Imps.
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