MINERS’ UNION LEADER COMPLAINS ABOUT TELEVISION DISTORTION
BBC and ITN were accused of “pure bias” in the reporting of the miners’ dispute by the National Union of Miners’ leader Arthur Scargill. He told the Edinburgh International Television Festival “The truth about the miners’ strike is missing from most TV news broadcasts. In the process of twisting or distorting or omitting the facts, both BBCnews and ITN are quite eager to do the CoalBoard’s job for them.” Journalists complained in the debate of abuse, threats, kick-ing and punching of camera crews by picket-ing miners.
EVANS’ LETTER PROTEST UPHELD
A complaint by former Times’ editor Harold Evans against his old paper was upheld by the Press Council. Evans had complained that The Times refused to publish a letter from him. The letter was a response to a review of his book Good Times, Bad Times and a
news story in which the paper claimed allegations made by Evans were untrue. The Press Council said The Times should have been prepared to publish a letter from Evans responding directly to some points attacking him in a statement by its publishers which the paper had printed.
MAXWELL OUT-FOXED BY LANCASTER
Sun reporter Shan Lancaster was pictured on the front page of Press Gazette after outsmarting Mirror Group boss Robert Maxwell. Lancaster caught Maxwell’s eye when he spotted her carrying an armful of papers at the TUC conference in Brighton. Maxwell asked her if she had a Mirror for him, Lancaster supplied one, revealed that she was from The Sun and produced that day’s copy in front of Maxwell for the cameras. The oleaginous Maxwell told Lancaster: “I don’t mind such attractive opposition. Next time I see Rupert Murdoch I will tell him to give you a rise.”
LOANS TO SUE THE EYE
County council loans to sue Private Eye had been given to Gloucestershire’s Chief Constable Leonard Soper, the division commander Supt. Colin Eynon and the Gloucester district coroner, Russell Jessop. Each was to receive £2,000 interestfree loan to take the Eye to court over an article about an inquest.
WHAT A WHOPPER
The September issue of Vogue in the US was a whopper. It weighed in at three and a quarter pounds and ran to 828 pages. It was claimed to be the biggest consumer magazine ever published in the US.
WAITING FOR THE PRINTS!
Press Gazette spliced together two pictures to show the ranks of photographers waiting to capture the moment Princess Diana left St. Mary’s Hospital, Paddington, hospital with Prince Harry. The pictures were taken by John Downing of The Daily Express and Bill Warhurst of The Times. ??
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