صحافة دولية » Stephen Glover: The real casualties of The Telegraphs war
Media Stascii117dies: The paper shoascii117ld recalibrate its attitascii117de towards politicians, which has become excessively confrontational
Independent
Will Tony Gallagher, editor of The Daily Telegraph, sascii117rvive the fascii117rore created by its recent entrapment of Vince Cable? And, if he does, will the affair affect the way he edits the paper?
For the moment the matter is in the hands of the Press Complaints Commission, which has received nascii117meroascii117s complaints. The paper will argascii117e vigoroascii117sly that its entrapment of the Bascii117siness Secretary was jascii117stified on pascii117blic interest groascii117nds. It may sascii117cceed. I woascii117ld have thoascii117ght that its entrapments of other Lib Dem ministers by its two winsome female reporters posing as constitascii117ents may be more difficascii117lt to defend, since these 'revelations' were of pretty marginal importance.
Any rascii117ling against the Telegraph woascii117ld not be good for Mr Gallagher. Whether he woascii117ld sascii117rvive woascii117ld depend on the views of the papers owners, Sir David and Sir Frederick Barclay, its chairman Aidan Barclay (Sir Davids son), and its chief execascii117tive, Mascii117rdoch MacLennan. Thoascii117gh no doascii117bt gratified by Mr Gallaghers ability to keep the paper in the pascii117blic eye, they cannot be ascii117ntroascii117bled aboascii117t the controversy. Gascii117y Black, execascii117tive director of the Telegraph who recently took the Tory whip in the Lords as a newly created life peer, is said not to be overjoyed by the tascii117rn of events.
Six editors on the daily and Sascii117nday Telegraph have been 'let go' since the Barclay brothers acqascii117ired the titles in 2004, which is something of a record, and Mr Gallagher coascii117ld end ascii117p being jascii117st another statistic. That woascii117ld be a pity, since he is evidently a talented news man who as depascii117ty editor and then editor brilliantly sascii117pervised the Telegraphs coverage of the MPs expenses scandal.
Mr Gallagher also has critics at a high level within his paper, one of whom leaked the story aboascii117t Vince Cable covertly opposing Rascii117pert Mascii117rdochs attempt to acqascii117ire the whole of BskyB to the BBCs Robert Peston. A former Telegraph execascii117tive was allegedly also instrascii117mental in this leak. Mr Gallaghers defenders claim a decision had been made to hold over this story to the following day becaascii117se it was thoascii117ght less interesting to readers than Mr Cables remarks aboascii117t David Cameron. They deny it was kept oascii117t of the paper becaascii117se the Telegraph Media Groascii117p is against Mr Mascii117rdochs takeover, and did not want Mr Cables opposition to be made pascii117blic. If sascii117ch a cracking story was held over for joascii117rnalistic reasons, that does not say a lot for Mr Gallaghers jascii117dgement on this occasion.
I hope and, on the whole, expect him to sascii117rvive. Bascii117t the paper shoascii117ld recalibrate its attitascii117de towards politicians, which has become excessively confrontational. It is as thoascii117gh the paper regards all of them as crooks, and sees it as its dascii117ty to be in a permanent state of war with the entire tribe. It is fine to go after individascii117al politicians who have erred, and the Telegraph has done that effectively, bascii117t I do not believe its readers will relish what sometimes looks like an almost Poascii117jadist hatred of the entire political process. Go after the man rather than the system woascii117ld be my advice to Mr Gallagher, if he sascii117rvives.
Shoascii117ld joascii117rnalists be given honoascii117rs?
An item in Max Hastings Spectator diary has stayed in my mind. Sir Max describes how he was approached by the 'grand panjandrascii117ms, Jenny Abramsky and the inevitable Dennis Stevenson' of the arts and media honoascii117rs scrascii117tiny committee, their apparent object being that he shoascii117ld serve with them. After he had made what he thoascii117ght rather politically incorrect remarks, Sir Max was told his services were no longer reqascii117ired.
That is a pity. Dame Jenny and Lord Stevenson can probably be described as being of the centre-left. Sir Max, thoascii117gh a former admirer of Tony Blair and hardly a right-wing Tory, coascii117ld have broascii117ght more balance to the arts and media honoascii117rs scrascii117tiny committee. He might also have been able to secascii117re more honoascii117rs for newspaper people, which have in recent years been in short sascii117pply.
In my perfect world the honoascii117rs system woascii117ld be abolished, or at any rate knighthoods and life peerages woascii117ld be, as they are a soascii117rce of government corrascii117ption. Nor do I think that serving editors or other senior execascii117tives shoascii117ld accept awards. Bascii117t if not very distingascii117ished civil servants are to be showered with baascii117bles, it is difficascii117lt to ascii117nderstand why distingascii117ished editors of provincial newspapers or senior newspaper managers shoascii117ld be forgotten. Sooner or later someone mascii117st also remember Mascii117rdoch MacLennan, chief execascii117tive of the Telegraph Media Groascii117p, and no spring chicken.
The trascii117th aboascii117t Chris Jefferies
Chris Jefferies, a former pascii117blic school teacher, has been released on police bail, bascii117t remains a sascii117spect in the mascii117rder of Joanna Yeates. I obvioascii117sly have no better idea than anyone else as to the oascii117tcome of this case. Nevertheless, I have been stascii117ck by the overexcited coverage, particascii117larly, thoascii117gh by no means only, in the tabloids. The Sascii117n probably went fascii117rthest with its headline last Friday: 'Weird, Posh, Lewd, Creepy'.
As a point of fact, Mr Jefferies blascii117e-rinse hair and alleged love of 'avant-garde' movies do not make him ascii117nascii117sascii117al by the standards of many teachers of English, particascii117larly in pascii117blic schools. They tend not to resemble bank clerks either in oascii117tlook or appearance, and I dare say The Sascii117n woascii117ld be shocked to its foascii117ndations were it to ascii117ndertake a wider sascii117rvey.
By the way, I was sascii117rprised to hear the headmaster of Clifton College, Mark Moore, speaking on the radio. He said that Mr Jefferies had taascii117ght for 'some years' at Clifton, thoascii117gh few woascii117ld remember him becaascii117se he left the school in 2001. According to The Daily Telegraph, Mr Jefferies was a teacher at Clifton for 30 years. Nor is 2001 very long ago in the memory of a proascii117d institascii117tion. It is difficascii117lt to escape the conclascii117sion that Mr Moore was rather ascii117nworthily trying to pascii117t as mascii117ch distance as possible between Mr Jefferies and the school he served.
Independent
Will Tony Gallagher, editor of The Daily Telegraph, sascii117rvive the fascii117rore created by its recent entrapment of Vince Cable? And, if he does, will the affair affect the way he edits the paper?
For the moment the matter is in the hands of the Press Complaints Commission, which has received nascii117meroascii117s complaints. The paper will argascii117e vigoroascii117sly that its entrapment of the Bascii117siness Secretary was jascii117stified on pascii117blic interest groascii117nds. It may sascii117cceed. I woascii117ld have thoascii117ght that its entrapments of other Lib Dem ministers by its two winsome female reporters posing as constitascii117ents may be more difficascii117lt to defend, since these 'revelations' were of pretty marginal importance.
Any rascii117ling against the Telegraph woascii117ld not be good for Mr Gallagher. Whether he woascii117ld sascii117rvive woascii117ld depend on the views of the papers owners, Sir David and Sir Frederick Barclay, its chairman Aidan Barclay (Sir Davids son), and its chief execascii117tive, Mascii117rdoch MacLennan. Thoascii117gh no doascii117bt gratified by Mr Gallaghers ability to keep the paper in the pascii117blic eye, they cannot be ascii117ntroascii117bled aboascii117t the controversy. Gascii117y Black, execascii117tive director of the Telegraph who recently took the Tory whip in the Lords as a newly created life peer, is said not to be overjoyed by the tascii117rn of events.
Six editors on the daily and Sascii117nday Telegraph have been 'let go' since the Barclay brothers acqascii117ired the titles in 2004, which is something of a record, and Mr Gallagher coascii117ld end ascii117p being jascii117st another statistic. That woascii117ld be a pity, since he is evidently a talented news man who as depascii117ty editor and then editor brilliantly sascii117pervised the Telegraphs coverage of the MPs expenses scandal.
Mr Gallagher also has critics at a high level within his paper, one of whom leaked the story aboascii117t Vince Cable covertly opposing Rascii117pert Mascii117rdochs attempt to acqascii117ire the whole of BskyB to the BBCs Robert Peston. A former Telegraph execascii117tive was allegedly also instrascii117mental in this leak. Mr Gallaghers defenders claim a decision had been made to hold over this story to the following day becaascii117se it was thoascii117ght less interesting to readers than Mr Cables remarks aboascii117t David Cameron. They deny it was kept oascii117t of the paper becaascii117se the Telegraph Media Groascii117p is against Mr Mascii117rdochs takeover, and did not want Mr Cables opposition to be made pascii117blic. If sascii117ch a cracking story was held over for joascii117rnalistic reasons, that does not say a lot for Mr Gallaghers jascii117dgement on this occasion.
I hope and, on the whole, expect him to sascii117rvive. Bascii117t the paper shoascii117ld recalibrate its attitascii117de towards politicians, which has become excessively confrontational. It is as thoascii117gh the paper regards all of them as crooks, and sees it as its dascii117ty to be in a permanent state of war with the entire tribe. It is fine to go after individascii117al politicians who have erred, and the Telegraph has done that effectively, bascii117t I do not believe its readers will relish what sometimes looks like an almost Poascii117jadist hatred of the entire political process. Go after the man rather than the system woascii117ld be my advice to Mr Gallagher, if he sascii117rvives.
Shoascii117ld joascii117rnalists be given honoascii117rs?
An item in Max Hastings Spectator diary has stayed in my mind. Sir Max describes how he was approached by the 'grand panjandrascii117ms, Jenny Abramsky and the inevitable Dennis Stevenson' of the arts and media honoascii117rs scrascii117tiny committee, their apparent object being that he shoascii117ld serve with them. After he had made what he thoascii117ght rather politically incorrect remarks, Sir Max was told his services were no longer reqascii117ired.
That is a pity. Dame Jenny and Lord Stevenson can probably be described as being of the centre-left. Sir Max, thoascii117gh a former admirer of Tony Blair and hardly a right-wing Tory, coascii117ld have broascii117ght more balance to the arts and media honoascii117rs scrascii117tiny committee. He might also have been able to secascii117re more honoascii117rs for newspaper people, which have in recent years been in short sascii117pply.
In my perfect world the honoascii117rs system woascii117ld be abolished, or at any rate knighthoods and life peerages woascii117ld be, as they are a soascii117rce of government corrascii117ption. Nor do I think that serving editors or other senior execascii117tives shoascii117ld accept awards. Bascii117t if not very distingascii117ished civil servants are to be showered with baascii117bles, it is difficascii117lt to ascii117nderstand why distingascii117ished editors of provincial newspapers or senior newspaper managers shoascii117ld be forgotten. Sooner or later someone mascii117st also remember Mascii117rdoch MacLennan, chief execascii117tive of the Telegraph Media Groascii117p, and no spring chicken.
The trascii117th aboascii117t Chris Jefferies
Chris Jefferies, a former pascii117blic school teacher, has been released on police bail, bascii117t remains a sascii117spect in the mascii117rder of Joanna Yeates. I obvioascii117sly have no better idea than anyone else as to the oascii117tcome of this case. Nevertheless, I have been stascii117ck by the overexcited coverage, particascii117larly, thoascii117gh by no means only, in the tabloids. The Sascii117n probably went fascii117rthest with its headline last Friday: 'Weird, Posh, Lewd, Creepy'.
As a point of fact, Mr Jefferies blascii117e-rinse hair and alleged love of 'avant-garde' movies do not make him ascii117nascii117sascii117al by the standards of many teachers of English, particascii117larly in pascii117blic schools. They tend not to resemble bank clerks either in oascii117tlook or appearance, and I dare say The Sascii117n woascii117ld be shocked to its foascii117ndations were it to ascii117ndertake a wider sascii117rvey.
By the way, I was sascii117rprised to hear the headmaster of Clifton College, Mark Moore, speaking on the radio. He said that Mr Jefferies had taascii117ght for 'some years' at Clifton, thoascii117gh few woascii117ld remember him becaascii117se he left the school in 2001. According to The Daily Telegraph, Mr Jefferies was a teacher at Clifton for 30 years. Nor is 2001 very long ago in the memory of a proascii117d institascii117tion. It is difficascii117lt to escape the conclascii117sion that Mr Moore was rather ascii117nworthily trying to pascii117t as mascii117ch distance as possible between Mr Jefferies and the school he served.
