'"[2] Similar statements were made "vigorously" at the contentious annual meeting: "Ronnie Scott, a sports journalist with the Sunday Post, was said to have spoken in favour of continuing to exclude women because, if they were admitted, it would 'become like a dinner dance',"[2] while another member equated female football fans with groupies.
Jenny Hjul wrote, "this is Scotland today, and here there are women who not only want to associate with football journalists but who are themselves experts in the game as writers, broadcasters and commentators.
[3][4] Some guests walked out of the SFWA awards ceremony on 8 May 2022 in protest at jokes by after-dinner speaker Bill Copeland that were described as "sexist, racist and homophobic".
[5] Women in Journalism UK issued a statement describing such incidents as "a stark reminder of the misogyny and racism that persists across the media landscape".
[5][6][11] The formal apology issued the following day gave an undertaking that this "will act as a catalyst to review and improve the format of our future events" to make them "inspirational" for all.