Tony Blair
12/06/07 19:15 Media
issues
So Tony Blair is
calling the media a 'Feral Beast' with the
Independent one of the worst offenders. The BBC
report on the speech is here,
BBC political correspondent Nick Robinson's blog
entry on the subject is here.
Personally I think the media is an easy target. We're not always popular and when some sections of the press decide someone's day in the sun is over, it's not pretty - they do tend to go for them. But Blair here is talking about the Independent. It may not be a broadsheet any more but it retains broadsheet sensibilities.
I can only conclude that this is all about people disagreeing with him over central issues. The Indie was among those papers celebrating ten years ago when Blair became PM. I don't recall any complaints then. As the years have passed and the spin grown more blatant it's become disillusioned and critical but it's never been as venomous as, say, the Mail.
So what do we make of this attack on the Indie? With a little regret I have to say it looks like calculated spin yet again. The red-tops would have been easy targets for Blair but nobody really takes the news stories seriously anyway. The Mail is his sworn enemy so there's no point in going for them - it would be too predictable and non-newsworthy.
But the Indie? That's different. A left-leaning paper being criticised by a Labour PM. Yes, that's non-obvious so yes, that might hit the headlines if the speech is dressed up with a few spicy words. Sorry, does this sound cynical? It should. This is a PM who wants to make the maximum impact with a few words and that, I believe, is the reason he's rounded on this particular example. You could almost call him 'feral'
The Independent's site is silent on the subject as I type; typically, perhaps, the Guardian has reported the Indie's view instead. You couldn't make that up.
Personally I think the media is an easy target. We're not always popular and when some sections of the press decide someone's day in the sun is over, it's not pretty - they do tend to go for them. But Blair here is talking about the Independent. It may not be a broadsheet any more but it retains broadsheet sensibilities.
I can only conclude that this is all about people disagreeing with him over central issues. The Indie was among those papers celebrating ten years ago when Blair became PM. I don't recall any complaints then. As the years have passed and the spin grown more blatant it's become disillusioned and critical but it's never been as venomous as, say, the Mail.
So what do we make of this attack on the Indie? With a little regret I have to say it looks like calculated spin yet again. The red-tops would have been easy targets for Blair but nobody really takes the news stories seriously anyway. The Mail is his sworn enemy so there's no point in going for them - it would be too predictable and non-newsworthy.
But the Indie? That's different. A left-leaning paper being criticised by a Labour PM. Yes, that's non-obvious so yes, that might hit the headlines if the speech is dressed up with a few spicy words. Sorry, does this sound cynical? It should. This is a PM who wants to make the maximum impact with a few words and that, I believe, is the reason he's rounded on this particular example. You could almost call him 'feral'
The Independent's site is silent on the subject as I type; typically, perhaps, the Guardian has reported the Indie's view instead. You couldn't make that up.
|