Friday 3 October 2014

Media Quotes of the Week: From MP's sex shame sting to why journalists should start on a local



Brooks Newmark MP resigns after Sunday Mirror story: “I have decided to resign as Minister for Civil Society having been notified of a story to be published in a Sunday newspaper. I would like to appeal for the privacy of my family to be respected at this time. I remain a loyal supporter of this Government as its long term economic plan continues to deliver for the British people.”

Tony Gallagher ‏@gallaghereditor on Twitter: "Can someone explain Tory PR strategy of leaking Brooks Newmark to everyone, this making it giant splash for all papers?"

Kevin Maguire ‏@Kevin_Maguire on Twitter: "Rule 1 for male MPs: Don't take a photo of your penis. Rule 2: If you ignore Rule 1, don't send it to a stranger."

Mark Pritchard MP who is making a complaint about the way the Sunday Mirror acted: "This is the first real test as to whether the new body, IPSO, has any teeth."

Guido Fawkes on his blog: "If IPSO finds against the Daily Mirror it won’t prove it has teeth, it will prove as we told the Leveson Inquiry, that “media standards” are really a form of censorship that will protect the powerful from having their wrongdoings uncovered. This blog will never bow to the censors – we will continue to use subterfuge and clandestine methods to go after wrong ‘uns – there is no other way."

Sunday Mirror editor-in-chief Lloyd Embley in a statement: “The Sunday Mirror stands by its story relating to Brooks Newmark. Subterfuge was used in this investigation - and we have been very clear about that from the start. We strongly believe there was a clear public interest because of Mr Newmark's roles as Minister for Civil Society and co-founder of Women2Win, an organisation aimed at attracting more Conservative women to parliament. The investigation was carried out before the Sunday Mirror's involvement. We thought that pictures used by the investigation were posed by models but we now know that some real pictures were used. At no point has the Sunday Mirror published any of these images but we would like to apologise to the women involved for their use in the investigation."

Susie Boniface, aka Fleet Street Fox, on Question Time“I think in this particular case that it’s not entrapment because Mr Newmark, if you’ve read the original article, responded to this journalist, which he thought was a young woman online, by firstly offering his mobile phone number, secondly going into private messages, and then on seven occasions seeking explicit photographs from her, and on another three occasions asking to meet her. Now that doesn’t sound to me like someone who was reluctant or who needed persuading, it sounds to me like someone who was quite enthusiastic with the opportunity to misbehave, and he grabbed it with one hand while lowering his pyjama trousers with the other one."


The Times [£] reveals police used the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (Ripa) to obtain a journalist's phone records: "Police investigating the Chris Huhne speeding points scandal secretly obtained the phone records of a journalist and one of his sources for the story, even though a judge had agreed that the source could remain confidential, The Times can reveal. A Kent police officer was granted authorisation to obtain the billing and call data of a Mail on Sunday journalist, alongside his source, who was later unmasked as a freelance journalist. The pair, whose data was obtained from their landline and mobile phone service providers, had been in discussions with Constance Briscoe, the judge who was investigated by police over a false claim that she had not spoken to the press about the affair."

Roy Greenslade on his Media Guardian blog: "Ripa was supposed to protect national security and detect crime while preventing disorder and protecting public health. Its misuse and abuse inhibits journalists from acting on behalf of the public and therefore threatens our civil liberties."

The Telegraph in a leader: "If whistleblowers think the police are going to find out they have been talking to journalists, they will withhold information. It would seem the police are posing a serious threat to the ability of the press to carry out its proper role in a free country."


Simon O'Neill ‏@SimonO19 on Twitter: "Via @regionalfronts this is the way to do 'right to be forgotten'."


Piers Morgan on MailOnline: "I am very excited to take on the role of Editor-at-Large (US) at MailOnline, which has become the most successful and dynamic platform in the world of news."



Jamie Angus, editor of BBC Radio 4's Today programme, as reported by the Guardian“There was a burst of rather difficult foreign news and a lot of listeners who stopped listening said they stopped because of the preponderance of really difficult and distressing foreign news. People think ‘I cannot take this anymore, I can’t deal with this information, what I supposed to do about this terrible thing that I can’t influence’ and in frustration they turn off and go to Radio 2.”


Peter Jukes ‏@peterjukes on Twitter: "After the tweets, book, audiobook and play, the plan is to launch a #hackingtrial fashion range - mainly wigs, handcuffs and black silk."


Francis Wheen ‏@FrancisWheen on Twitter: "Of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these: I'd like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn."


Andrew Norfolk in the Guardian on why journalists should start on local papers: “It’s very old-fashioned but I also think it’s important to have a few years where, if you screw up, people can walk into your office and let you know about it.”

[£]=Paywall

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