Celtic must stop pandering to mainstream media and welcome fan media back where it belongs to stop the false narrative

For a club built on identity, community and support from the terraces upward, Celtic’s continued distancing from fan media makes less and less sense with every passing season.

At a time when the mainstream Scottish media landscape remains openly hostile towards Celtic, it is baffling that the club continues to roll out the red carpet for outlets that have spent decades undermining, ridiculing or misrepresenting the support, while shutting out many of the independent voices who genuinely have the club’s interests at heart.

People like Paul John Dykes and platforms such as A Celtic State of Mind have built enormous audiences through passion, credibility and consistency. They have produced some of the most thoughtful, engaging and informed Celtic coverage anywhere in the country. They understand the culture of the club because they are part of it.

So why are these voices treated as outsiders while organisations like BBC Scotland or Daily Record are welcomed unquestioningly into the fold despite years of coverage that many supporters feel has been agenda-driven, inflammatory or dismissive towards Celtic?

Most supporters already know the answer.

Fan media asks tougher questions.

Independent Celtic platforms are not dependent on preserving cosy relationships or maintaining access at all costs. They are more likely to challenge decisions, scrutinise the board and raise issues supporters actually care about. That discomfort appears to suit the hierarchy far less than the predictability of traditional outlets asking safe, rehearsed questions.

But this approach is increasingly outdated – and strategically poor.

Modern football clubs thrive when they understand and harness their own media ecosystems. Celtic fan media is no longer niche. It reaches hundreds of thousands of supporters worldwide every single week through podcasts, YouTube channels, livestreams and social platforms. These creators are shaping the conversation around the club whether the board likes it or not.

The smarter move would be to work with them rather than against them.

Because Celtic are fighting battles off the pitch too. From the false claims surrounding Hearts players allegedly being assaulted to constant rhetoric around so-called “tainted titles” aimed at Celtic, the mainstream narrative has often felt one-sided and selectively framed. Supporters see it. They discuss it daily. Yet too often the club appears passive in the face of it.

A stronger relationship between the board and fan media could help change that.

Not through propaganda or blind loyalty, but through alignment. Through ensuring Celtic’s perspective is articulated clearly, consistently and unapologetically by people who genuinely understand the club and its support. Fan media has the reach, trust and authenticity that mainstream outlets increasingly lack among the Celtic support.

More importantly, it would build unity.

At its best, Celtic has always been strongest when the club and support move together. Bridging the divide between the boardroom and fan-led media would foster trust, transparency and a shared sense of purpose. It would signal that the club values the voices of its own supporters rather than prioritising approval from media institutions that have rarely shown Celtic the same respect in return.

No one is arguing that mainstream media should be excluded entirely. But the current imbalance is impossible to justify.

If Celtic truly wants to protect the club’s image, strengthen supporter relations and regain control of the narrative surrounding the club, then embracing fan media is not a threat.

It is an opportunity.