Blair criticizes media coverage of politics

The journalist Peter Wilby responds to a speech Tony Blair gave to the Reuters Institute on Tuesday, June 12th. "Blair grossly underestimates the role of politicians in changing political coverage. His speech yesterday was a rarity: it wasn't trailed in advance. But consider how often you see stories saying that a minister 'is expected to say today'. This is a recent development ... Once important announcements had to be presented first to parliament (or at least the cabinet) and were jealously guarded until then. Leaking gives ministers substantial advantages. They can leak partially. They can leak to selected journalists, who may be deemed trustworthy or just grateful for a story. ... They can leak before potential critics have a chance to give a more informed verdict. ... The difficulty with Blair's speech is one of chicken and egg. Did the pressures of 24-hour news come first, or the politicians' more manipulative approach to supplying news ?"

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