Category: “Media”

The last time David Cameron flew in mid-frenzy from an overseas visit, he did the right thing on arrival home in announcing a judicial inquiry into phonehacking and the broader practices of the press. He should do the right thing today – and finally admit his judgement let him down in hiring Andy Coulson as [...]

It is evidence of just how badly David Cameron has handled the News International scandal that he is having to cut short a planned – and important – trip to Africa. Indeed, amid all the talk of victims of phone hacking, the victims of the spreading famine can be added to the list. But for [...]

A couple of weeks ago I spoke at the Local Government Awards hosted by the Municipal Journal. The event was well-organised, very enjoyable, and the hosts kind enough to say that my speech had been the best they had had. A day or so later the Londoner’s Diary in the Evening Standard reported that I [...]

It has been widely and rightly recognised that Ed Miliband has shown real leadership in recent days. He has forced the pace on phonehacking, and the broader issues of media practices and culture which the Leveson Inquiry will now investigare. It has been equally widely recognised that David Cameron has had a very bad crisis, [...]

Just as News International threw Andy Coulson to the wolves in advance of last week’s PMQs, so at yesterday’s the PM did the same. In truth however, if Mr Cameron’s former communications director ‘turns out to have lied to me’ of course it will say something about Mr Coulson. But it will also say something [...]

Time for the blog to take a little breather from phonehacking, with three little scenes from yesterday which combined to lift my mood from the general media putrescence in which we have been swimming. First, I spent the morning at Eastbury comprehensive school in Barking, speaking to the sixth form induction group. Forty per cent [...]

In 2009 I attended the wedding of News International chief executive Rebekah Brooks. The ceremony took place by a lake, at a country estate. I stood next to TV presenter Piers Morgan, while Paul Dacre, Daily Mail editor, was a few yards away. Rupert Murdoch was closer to the action. David Cameron hung back up [...]

With my usual thanks to the Labour Party media monitoring department for their excellent summary of the press, a few points before I settle down to a cup of coffee in front of Ed Miliband on Andrew Marr. First, to anyone who thinks David Cameron and (most of) the Tories still don’t get it, take [...]

I don’t know Steve Coogan but I thought he did a very good job on Newsnight last night, in particular in seeking to make sure the focus from the phonehacking scandal is not just restricted to the News of the World. He asked where Paul Dacre was in all this, and when I tweeted my [...]

Apart from his weakness over BSkyB, David Cameron – finally – said and did a lot of the right things in his opening statement at his press conference today. Once the questions got under way, however, the arrogance and the peevishness started to creep in. I know part of his defence of his poor judgement [...]