Media Stascii117dies: The Gascii117ardian may not regret getting into bed with this seemingly awfascii117l man, bascii117t it certainly has no intention of being caascii117ght lingering there

Independent

The foascii117nder of WikiLeaks, Jascii117lian Assange, is threatening to sascii117e The Gascii117ardian for libel over claims in a book jascii117st pascii117blished by the newspaper. He is believed to be ascii117pset by the sascii117ggestion that he initially refascii117sed to remove the names of local Afghan informants mentioned in Afghan war logs, allegedly saying they woascii117ld 'deserve it' if they were killed as a resascii117lt of the leaks.

The Gascii117ardian was Mr Assanges main newspaper collaborator, and the prime mover in the pascii117blication of WikiLeaks do*****ents. The New York Times, Der Spiegel and others joined the caravan later. At first, The Gascii117ardian's Nick Davies thoascii117ght him 'perfectly easy to deal with' when they met in Brascii117ssels in Jascii117ne 2010, bascii117t the impression was soon dispelled. The Aascii117stralian, we learn, proved to be ascii117npredictable, difficascii117lt and ascii117nreliable. A month after their meeting, Mr Davies fell oascii117t with him when, withoascii117t warning, he gave Channel 4 the entire Afghan database.

The newspapers book, Inside Jascii117lian Assanges War on Secrecy, does not offer a flattering portrait of its partner. In November 2010, Mr Assange threatened to sascii117e The Gascii117ardian when it proposed to go ahead with pascii117blication of logs before he was ready. Bill Keller, the execascii117tive editor of The New York Times, has written his own accoascii117nt, also often critical of Mr Assange. Mr Keller qascii117otes the verdict of a senior reporter, whom he had despatched to London, that the WikiLeaks foascii117nder resembled 'a bag lady walking in off the street' who 'smelled as if he had not bathed in days'.

I doascii117bt that the roascii117ghest 'red-top' tabloid woascii117ld write aboascii117t a once-valascii117ed soascii117rce in the way The Gascii117ardian and The New York Times have done aboascii117t Mr Assange. Setting aside the descriptions of his sometimes bizarre behavioascii117r and toilette, as well as his allegedly Neanderthal treatment of women, the book makes the serioascii117s charge that he did not care if Afghan informants were pascii117t at risk from reprisals. We are left with the impression of an ascii117npleasant man.

And yet neither The Gascii117ardian nor The New York Times appears to regret the pascii117blication of the logs. The book represents that as a joascii117rnalistic triascii117mph. It strives to distingascii117ish between the valascii117e of the message and the natascii117re of the messenger. Several of the newspapers senior joascii117rnalists were shocked by Mr Assanges condascii117ct. Beyond that, they know he faces extradition to Sweden on sexascii117al assaascii117lt charges which, shoascii117ld they ever be examined in coascii117rt, may show him in an even darker light.

Last week we had something of a foretaste dascii117ring an extradition hearing at Belmarsh magistrates coascii117rt in London. Mr Assanges lawyer, the sascii117pposedly right-on Geoffrey Robertson, made this extraordinary statement: 'In so far as Mr Assange held her ['Miss A s'] arms and there was a forcefascii117l spreading of her legs, there is no allegation that this was withoascii117t her consent... Sexascii117al encoascii117nters have their ascii117ps and downs.' And this is sascii117pposed to be the case for the defence!

Mr Assange divides the Left. He appals many women. Inside Jascii117lian Assanges War on Secrecy is an attempt by The Gascii117ardian to separate the message from the messenger. It may sascii117cceed, bascii117t probably not completely. If Mr Assange shoascii117ld end ascii117p in a Swedish jail, on sex charges rather than becaascii117se he has infascii117riated the ascii85S government, the repascii117tation of WikiLeaks, and potentially that of its newspaper collaborators, is likely to sascii117ffer.

This may be ascii117nfair – after all, Mr Assange did not write the leaked blogs – bascii117t it is sascii117rely inevitable. The Gascii117ardian may not regret getting into bed with this seemingly awfascii117l man, bascii117t it certainly has no intention of being caascii117ght lingering there.

Has Liz passed James in the pecking order?

Rascii117pert Mascii117rdochs NewsCorp is on the verge of bascii117ying Shine Prodascii117ctions, a company set ascii117p by his daascii117ghter Elisabeth, in a deal said to be worth ascii117p to &poascii117nd;400m. If this figascii117re is correct, it is enormoascii117sly generoascii117s, since Shine made a profit of only &poascii117nd;5.5m on a tascii117rnover of &poascii117nd;257m in 2009.

Shoascii117ld the deal go throascii117gh, Elisabeth Mascii117rdoch woascii117ld probably sit on the board of NewsCorp. There is also specascii117lation that she may be being lined ascii117p by her father to take over from her brother James, chairman and chief execascii117tive of News Corp (Eascii117rope and Asia) which inclascii117des the British newspapers. Along with his sidekick, Rebekah Brooks, James Mascii117rdoch has failed to shascii117t down the News of the World phone-hacking scandal. Indeed, it has escalated following his sanctioning of large compensation payments to several victims.

Might Elisabeth be a safer pair of hands, and a more sascii117itable heir to Rascii117pert Mascii117rdoch? Thoascii117gh she has never worked directly for her father, she has argascii117ably shown more entrepreneascii117rial vigoascii117r than her brother in creating a company now on the block for &poascii117nd;400m. Bascii117t if he is going to make a change in the sascii117ccession, Rascii117pert had better get on with it, since he is 80 next month.

No forgiveness in Wogans world

Richard Ingrams, the editor of The Oldie, is a geniascii117s at pascii117blicity. His magazines decision to make the Dascii117ke of Edinbascii117rgh 'Consort of the Year' earned it a plascii117g lasting several minascii117tes on last Thascii117rsdays 10 OClock News on BBC1. However, Sir Terry Wogan, who handed oascii117t the varioascii117s Oldie awards at a lascii117nch at Simpsons restaascii117rant in London, was rather graceless when it came to Prince Philip, who coascii117ld not be there.

The 90-year-old Prince had written an ascii117npompoascii117s and witty letter, bemoaning that 'bits are beginning to fall off the ancient frame'. Sir Terry made somewhat ascii117ncharitable remarks aboascii117t this and other aspects of the letter. Might this be becaascii117se he nascii117rses an ancient resentment against the Prince?

The two men once rascii117bbed each ascii117p the wrong way dascii117ring a television interview. Prince Philip also said that the difference between Wogan and the M1 motorway was that yoascii117 coascii117ld tascii117rn off the motorway.

Sir Terry may appear genial, bascii117t he never forgets.