MEDIA STUDIES
The press is not trivial and intrusive at least in the case of the Blair children
STEPHEN GLOVER
Last Sunday seven national newspapers ran photographs of Leo at his baptism in Sedgefield, County Durham. Leo's own views on the matter are unknown. In one Picture he looks distinctly pensive,as though his mind is on higher — or possibly lower things. But his parents were very cross at what they regarded as gross media intrusion, though the photographs were taken in a public place. Alastair Campbell, the Prime Minister's press secretary, referred the matter to Lord Wakeham, chairman of the Press Complaints Commis- sion. It was then announced that the Blairs had decided not to submit themselves to their customary photocall before going on holiday to Tuscany next week. This was thought to be by way of retaliation, though it later emerged that the Blairs had decided some weeks ago not to be photographed, possibly to spare Euan, recently in the news, any embarrassment. Lord Wakeham has a well-deserved repu- tation as a Mr Fixit, and he has persuaded the Blairs to be pictured after all. In theory, the media will then leave them alone to enjoy their holiday in peace. I believe that newspapers should consider not running this photograph at all, or perhaps carrying a blank- space by way of protest, to show that they do not like being manipulated and mis- represented. For although Mr Campbell Characterises the press as being intrusive and trivial, this is a wildly unjust charge as far as the Blair children are concerned. They have — quite rightly — been allowed to get on with their lives. When Euan col- apsed in a drunken stupor in Trafalgar Square, newspaper editors fell over one another in offering their sympathy, while columnists were anxious for it to be known that they had spent their entire youths in the gutter, and that Euan was by compari- son a shining light and model teenager and a hope for future generations. At Sedge- field, of course, the photograph that picture editors really wanted was that of Euan, but his privacy was .respected. So they made do with Leo who, early reports suggest, does not seem to have been noticeably trauma- tised by the experience.
For once, the press have not behaved badly. But can we say the same of the Blairs? I certainly concede that, with the help of Mr Campbell, they have played a brilliant game — giving the impression that they shun publicity for their children while milking it for all it is worth when it suits them. No doubt as good and protective par- ents they want Euan, Nicky and Kathryn to live normal lives, which is exactly what they are doing. But the Blairs are surely guilty of double standards if they use Leo as a secret electoral weapon one moment and then work themselves up into a state of high excitement when the baby is photographed by the press. It may be, of course, that the excitement is calculated. If they are seen to object to the publicity engendered by Leo, the Tories cannot say that they sought it. But I rather think that their outrage is gen- uine, and that like many rather grand and arrogant people in public life, like most film and pop stars in fact, they think they can use the media one moment and banish them the next. What is so extraordinary is that, for the moment, they appear to be getting away with it.
Athis colutnn suggested might hap- pen, the marriage between Carlton Com- munications and United News and Media did not take place, and Granada Media has instead swooped on United. But this has not happened quite in the way I expected. Granada has simply bought United's ITV franchises — Meridian, HTV and Anglia — leaving a hollowed-out United to make its way in the world.
Whether United can now be properly described as a media company is doubtful. It still owns some new media businesses, various magazines including Exchange and Mart, NOP, and a division specialising in trade exhibitions. And, of course, the Express titles. But these newspapers seem to sit even less comfortably than they used to with United's wider media interests. Its boss Lord Hollick denies that they are for sale, though for the first time he has said in public (the Guardian, 29 July) that 'he would always listen to offers'.
Lord Hollick was once going to be a media king and dominate ITV. Now that his star has fallen somewhat, it is difficult to imagine that he can persuade his fellow directors and shareholders that it is in the best interests of United to retain the Express titles. But a seller needs a buyer, and it is not clear there is one. Trinity Mir- ror is one possibility. Mohamed Fayed, owner of Harrods, is surely an implausible suitor. As I have written over the past few weeks, the Barclay brothers no longer seem likely buyers. I fear that people may not be queuing up.
By the way, I have received another letter from Sir David Barclay who is anxious for the world to know that the four newspapers owned by himself and his brother Frederick are not up for sale.
German papers are famously slow in reacting to breaking news. The response of some of them to the Concorde crash in Paris was in character; a few did not even carry the news on the front page, although all the passengers were German.
On the other hand, the coverage in the British press did sometimes seem to go too far in the other direction. Of course, it was a terrible and gripping story. One accepts that Concorde is not quite like any other air- craft. It was the first time that such a plane had crashed, and so the interest was bound to be exceptional.
All the same, one wonders about some of the hyperbole. The Independent gave over its entire front page to the crash the following morning. Some papers made much of a comparison between the crash and the after- math of an atom bomb. Well, actually atom bombs are considerably more lethal. The use of photographs, the screaming two-tier headlines, the countless speculative stories that actually told you very little — all this suggested a disaster not very far short of the end of the world. My worry is that papers exhaust their repertoire too quickly. There is no longer a carefully graded hierarchy of response. What would they do if something absolutely catastrophic happened?
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