Newspapers
What I’ve learnt from editing a newspaper letters page
The joys of editing a newspaper letters page
Lord Northcliffe’s war of words
Andrew Lycett on the pugnacious British press baron dedicated to fighting the first world war through newsprint
Fascinating exhibitions – clunky editorialising: Breaking the News at the British Library reviewed
In The Spectator office’s toilets there are framed front covers of the events that didn’t happen: Corbyn beats Boris; ‘Here’s…
My voyage back through the landmarks of my life
I was looking forward to my dinner at Daquise in South Kensington, a Polish restaurant that’s been there for ever…
The Sun goes down
Where did it all go wrong for the Sun?
The real Rupert Murdoch, by Kelvin MacKenzie
The BBC documentary on Rupert Murdoch is pure one-sided bile, says Kelvin MacKenzie
A fine, even rather noble drama: BBC1's The Salisbury Poisonings reviewed
This week, BBC1 brought us a three-part dramatisation of an ‘unprecedented crisis’ in recent British life. Among other things, it…
Writing obituaries can be strangely life-affirming
There’s nothing morbid about writing obituaries
The hypocrisy of our politicians’ support for press freedom
Cynical old hacks like me have been amused by the chorus of establishment applause for the Mail on Sunday’s great…
The quiet genius of Posy Simmonds, Hogarth’s heir
‘It’s no use at all,’ says Posy Simmonds in mock despair, holding up her hands. ‘I can’t tell my left…
Rachel Johnson: Getting sacked is a badge of honour. And I should know
People are still asking ‘So, how was your summer’ and mine was nice as far as it went: I didn’t…
The great thing about the World Cup is you don’t even have to watch it to enjoy it
Even though I don’t watch much football I love the World Cup because it’s my passport to total freedom. I…
Why can’t podcasts be more like Radio 4?
Now here’s a series that would make a brilliant podcast but is also classic Radio 4 — they don’t have…
Diary
Next month, the Today programme marks its 60th anniversary, so I have been mugging up on the archives. If there…
The right kind of dumbing down
Thanks to meteoric advances in computational power, it is now possible to take abundant data from a wide range of…
A feral, all-powerful press? The Whittingdale story disproves that
For weeks, Westminster has been full of rumours about the private life of a certain cabinet member. It was said…
After 50 years, I’m out of the agony-aunt business
It’s clear that Vladimir Putin has had a facelift, which might explain why Wendi Deng would take an interest in…
Would you like to buy an American’s vote?
Killing time in a Heathrow first-class lounge, I notice how many men adopt an unmistakable ‘first-class lounge’ persona. They stand…
Why won’t the media call a cock a cock?
On the Radio 4 news at 11 o’clock last Saturday morning there was a joky report about roosters in Brisbane. The…
Could I have prevented a Kray murder?
Could I have prevented a Kray murder?
Piers Morgan’s diary: What I have in common with Jeremy Corbyn – and Katie Hopkins
Party conference season is the most pointless waste of money, time and liver quality ever devised. I attended these sweaty,…
Chris Mullin’s diary: Murdoch’s men couldn’t face even a fictional Corbyn victory
With four days to go until the result of Labour’s leadership election, a call from the Sunday Times. Would I…
The Heckler: the disingenuous custom of the ‘press night’ should be scrapped
Sam Mendes once said there is no such thing as the history of British theatre, only the history of British…
I remember Nikkei’s journalistic values – and I’m not sure they’re much like the FT’s
It’s nearly 30 years since I worked in Japan, but I still have a few words of the language and…
Turn the licence fee into a digital currency – and save more than just the BBC
What follows is a proposal for reducing the BBC licence fee and improving the corporation’s output while saving the British…
