I’ve been a big fan of Nick Davies ever since his book “Dark Heart“, which I recommend to people on a tediously regular basis.
I make that recommendation in part because Nick Davies’s book mentions the street I grew up on twice in it’s opening pages*, and reading those references was the first time I had any clue that someone mightbe interested in what happened on streets like mine. To this day I keep a copy of the book by my desk.
Nick is known now as an investigator of the media, and his story today will light a bonfire under the methods of Journalists well beyond news International.
It will probably also lead to the resignation of Andy Coulson, though the Tories are currently trying to protect their man. Personally, I reckon being editor of a newspaper that allegedly bugs thousands of people should disqualify you from being a comms adviser to a party leader.
If you didn’t know about it, you’re incompetent. If you did, you’re dangerous.
But mainly I just wanted to say “Isn’t Nick Davies a good journalist?”
Now, if newspapers could just get rid of a few bloviators, they’d be able to hire more like him.
* pages 14 and 32, should you care to check.
13 Comments
July 9, 2009 at 10:00 am
I love Guido’s take – “A Labour spin doctor called me” etc. i.e. Alex Hilton, who I suppose with a very loose definition could be classed as a spinner.
July 9, 2009 at 10:37 am
He’s superb. Flat Earth News is also brilliant, and he gave the best talk on journalism I’ve ever heard.
July 9, 2009 at 10:39 am
Dark Heart may refer to:The name of a villain in Care Bears. ( Wikipedia )
Not comparable with the insight Mc Bride gave the Kreminologists though , is it . If Coulson goes I shall experience a “So what” catharsis .
July 9, 2009 at 10:43 am
Would that be:
Gedling Grove, Arnold, Nottingham NG5,
Gedling Grove, Nottingham NG7
or neither of the above?
Bloviators eh? Where would I be without Google?
We shouldn’t overlook the possibility that both of the Mr Cs in this story may be both incompetent and dangerous…
July 9, 2009 at 11:27 am
Brian,
Gedling Grove NG7. No 18, to be precise.
July 9, 2009 at 12:54 pm
19 Melrose Road, Coulsdon – since you (didn’t) ask….
July 9, 2009 at 12:49 pm
Gedling Grove NG7. No 18, to be precise.
Thats your prolier than thou story anyway .Bit odd that you sound like Ted Heath.
July 9, 2009 at 5:38 pm
More roy jenkins, imo.
July 10, 2009 at 1:50 pm
Roy Jenkins? I didn’t have you down as a valleys boy…
Mind you, Roy’s accent didn’t exactly give away his birthplace either…
July 9, 2009 at 1:29 pm
“prolier than thou ”
That just made me LOL.
July 9, 2009 at 4:47 pm
Coulson can’t be sacked because his main objective is to “deliver” the Murdoch press for Cameron’s Tories?
July 9, 2009 at 7:48 pm
“Personally, I reckon being editor of a newspaper that allegedly bugs thousands of people should disqualify you from being a comms adviser to a party leader.
If you didn’t know about it, you’re incompetent. If you did, you’re dangerous.”
Personally, I reckon being leader of a political party which does create smear campaigns (lying about mental state of people’s wives and making up affairs sounds like libel / slander) from your head of comms to your head of blogging.
If he didn’t know about it, he’s incompetent. If you did, you’re morally corrupt lying b**tard who tries to portray himself as something else.
July 10, 2009 at 1:40 pm
Its not the only issue with Coulson, he is also in a bullying case .
http://yorkshire-ranter.blogspot.com/2009/07/andy-coulson-and-law.html