View all newsletters
Sign up for our free email newsletters

Fighting for quality news media in the digital age.

  1. Archive content
July 13, 2006updated 22 Nov 2022 8:14pm

Axe grinder 14.07.06

By Press Gazette

Axegrinder's name to watch this week: Gloria de Piero, GMTV's political correspondent.

 

It’s unlucky Heather s Kemp moves in

AFTER seven years in the top job, Heather McGlone has quietly been redeployed from her position as editor of the Daily Mail's Weekend supplement.

I am told that she is "deeply shocked" by Paul Dacre's decision to reshuffle his pack. "Paul thinks Weekend is tired and needs a revamp," says one source.

Meanwhile,
she has been informed that she does not need to leave the paper —
another role will be found for her, if she wishes to stay on.

Some
of those who are already aware of McGlone's news seem quite cheerful.
One of them told me: "Her reign of terror has finally come to an end."

Content from our partners
MHP Group's 30 To Watch awards for young journalists open for entries
How PA Media is helping newspapers make the digital transition
Publishing on the open web is broken, how generative AI could help fix it

She might not be the most popular exec, but I must say I have always found her utterly charming.

McGlone will not leave Weekend
immediately. First, she must undergo a form of Dacre's excruciatingly
slow torture — he wants her to stay in the chair until her successor, Charlotte Kemp, takes over in September.

"It's very tough for Heather," says someone extremely close to McGlone.

"She'll have to be in her office taking calls from people, saying, ‘Where are you off to? What's next?'

The fact is, she doesn't know what's next. She doesn't know where she is off to.

"If
Axegrinder is going to mention this then at least please tell people
not to call her offering sympathy — she doesn't want that!"

Ed needs Pick Me Up after door drama

THERE
was a dramatic incident the other day when IPC executives were taken
out of drab King's Reach Tower and whisked down the road for a tour of
the company's new offices.

The expedition was made up of editors
of IPC's weekly titles and all of them were excitedly cooing about the
swanky new building which sits behind the Tate Modern.

However, as they were leaving the building, June Smith Sheppard, editor of Pick Me Up, got stuck in the revolving doors.

Her colleagues stood on the pavement, gawping as Smith Sheppard screamed to be released.

In the end, some men in hard hats were summoned and they liberated the trapped editor.

Says one of her underlings: "As a mark of respect to June, we're thinking of changing the title of the magazine from Pick Me Up to Pull Me Out."

Kite crashes to Earth over Cameron scoop

THE SUNDAY Telegraph's delightful deputy editor Melissa Kite thought she was on to a scoop last Saturday.

As she studied pictures of Tory leader David Cameron opening (yawn, yawn) the Witney Carnival, she noticed that "Call Me Dave" was wearing an orange wristband.

Was it some new cause he was supporting, the diligent deputy wondered? Did she have an exclusive on her hands (and his wrist)?

Kite
eagerly phoned the photographer who paused for a moment before saying,
"Orange wrist band? That's what got him into the free beer tent."

Why 3am girls' Prince polo pic was just balls

FOLLOWING
Axegrinder's report last week that the Mirror's 3am girls are looking
for a boy, the paper devoted page three to a big snap of Eva Simpson and Caroline Hedley standing beside Prince William.

"Wills
joins the 3am girls", announced the headline. Underneath, the girls
told readers how they met William after he had played in the Audi Polo
Challenge at Windsor. The Prince "posed happily for pictures … and,
being a true gentleman, shook our hands".

Axegrinder's witness
tells a different tale. "The Prince was on the stage and there was very
little security about and various people were going up and shaking his
hand. There was a little girl who'd suffered from cancer and others who
had been treated at the Royal Marsden.

"Suddenly, these two girls jumped up and sandwiched him. That's what it was like, they made a William sandwich.

Yes,
he shook their hands, but he didn't have a clue who they were. He
probably assumed they were cancer victims or something to do with the
Marsden.

When their photographer [Jon Furniss] gave them the thumbs-up they climbed down from the platform."

Has Crackers finally lost the plot at the ST?

TOUGH times for David "Crackers" Cracknell, political editor of The Sunday Times. Last weekend he reported that David Miliband was being lined up by Blair to replace Prescott, getting an unusual official denial from Number 10.

In the same story, he said Prezza had stormed out of Cabinet on Thursday last week. Patricia Hewitt on Sunday AM said: "He did nothing of the sort."

ST editor John Witherow does not like denials. It comes after rival The Observer reported on 2 July that Crackers was well-refreshed at a Treasury drinks do. Witherow doesn't like that either.

Mind you, all of this is nothing to Crackers' report for The Sunday Telegraph in 2001, claiming Thatcher supported Portillo for the leadership, which was denied by Thatcher's office to all other Sunday lobby corrs before it was even published.

However,
one has to ask who one believes, Number 10 and Hewitt or Crackers? On
this rare occasion, people seem to be coming down in favour of Number
10 and Hewitt.

More humility is needed for real-life editor

WINNER OF this week's most heartfelt email must go to Helen Roberts, real-life editor of More! magazine.

She
sent the following message out to features and pictures agencies. (Note
the way Helen talks of rape victims with tact, humility, sensitivity
and delicacy.)

Hi, I need more stories off you please!

Desperately
in need of a REALLY STRONG picture-led piece or a story of a girl who
was raped while she was on holiday — either travelling or a fortnight
away in Ibiza.

Preferably exclusive but we will take 2nd rights if need be (only after it's been in a newspaper/Best/Bella/Woman/Woman's Own). If you have anything please get in touch — we'll pay well and as usual the girl will look fab in one of our great photo shoots.

Thanks Hx

Griffin goes for Gold, but don't tell her boss…

MORE
troops arrive at Wapping to work on Project Gold, the highly secret and
exciting venture which will, in fact, be a free London newspaper to
rival Metro.

I learn that the talented Zoe Griffin, features writer at The Mail on Sunday, is the latest signing. However, it's still not clear if Griffin has told MoS editor Peter Wright of her intended departure, so please keep it quiet for a few days.

I'm now beginning to build up a picture of the editorial team. Griffin will join editor Stefano Hatfield (former editor- in-chief of Metro in New York), deputy editor Bridget Harrison (ex-NY Post), Dominic Midgley and Lottie Moggach.

Is the person sitting next to you about to join Project Gold? If so, please let me know.

We pay penalty for missing the Icon family ties

THERE'S a PS to last week's item about Jamie Redknapp's interview with Frank Lampard, which was conducted in Chelsea restaurant Scalini, and featured in Icon magazine.

Iain Dale,
author and owner of internet bookshop politicos, uses his blog to
praise this column, but adds: "Perhaps if Axegrinder knew a little
about football, he or she would have been able to poke even more fun at
the interview by pointing out that Frank and Jamie are first cousins.

"Jamie's father Harry is married to Frank's mother Pat's sister Sandra. With me?"

And a visitor to the site, one David Witts, leaves this message: "I think you may also find that the restaurant Scalini's is actually owned by Dad/Uncle Harry."

This could explain why Redknapp Jnr uses the article to describe Scalini as "our family's favourite restaurant".

It's all ‘me, me, me' for MoS nicker Nicholl

BYLINE BANDIDA Katie Nicholl has caused further alarm among colleagues at The Mail on Sunday following her interview with last weekend's Observer mag.

As part of a feature on female gossip hounds, Nicholl told The Observer of the superheroine abilities she uses in order to get stories.

"I
have climbed up fire escapes," she said. "I have climbed in through loo
windows… I have made friends with bouncers… I have a reputation for
being able to get in anywhere and it's deserved. I am extremely good at
it."

She then proceeded to recount a tale of how she wangled her way into Kate Moss's 30th birthday party at a hotel suite in Claridge's, uncovering wild scenes of debauchery in the process.

Said Nicholl: "I got in. How? That would be telling, but I got in.

"It
was eye-popping stuff. Incredible… I was in disguise. I had my hair
slicked back and lots of heavy make-up. Still I was terrified that I'd
be discovered… I was still there at 3am, revelling away."

According to The Observer: "After that she went home and produced 1,000 words of copy which ran in the paper less than 48 hours later."

Annoyingly,
the "revelling" must have had a toxic effect on Nicholl's mind. For
although she appears to have single-handedly entered Moss's party, she
forgot to mention MoS feature writer Laura Collins.

Collins
was with Nicholl on that night and actually got into Claridge's first,
spoke to many of the guests, and filed a perfect piece for the MoS — with the help of one or two suggestions from a rather revelled Katie.

There is another person who might feel similarly aggrieved about the Observer piece. Zoe Griffin,
her again, is Nicholl's deputy and deserves a mention as she's been the
one climbing up fire escapes and through the loo windows while her boss
concentrates on her own wedding arrangements.

Press Release Clarification of the Week

From: Kelly Ledgerwood
Subject: Press release clarification

JVC
would like to offer a clarification regarding the press release issued
on 5 July relating to the purchase of ProHD equipment by The Church of
Latterday Saints. The light-hearted use of the hackneyed expression "In
God we trust" as a headline was in no way intended to indicate
particular support for the specific denomination of faith in question.

Indeed,
JVC is respectful of all religions and creeds and expresses no
particular affiliation with any. The message behind the press release
is the application of ProHD equipment in a demanding environment where
the operational features of the GYHD101E were instrumental in ensuring
that a truly professional video production could be created.

JVC
is concerned that the headline could be misconstrued or cause offence
and apologises if this is the case, and trust that this clarification
has removed any doubt in this regard.

Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog

Select and enter your email address Weekly insight into the big strategic issues affecting the future of the news industry. Essential reading for media leaders every Thursday. Your morning brew of news about the world of news from Press Gazette and elsewhere in the media. Sent at around 10am UK time. Our weekly does of strategic insight about the future of news media aimed at US readers. A fortnightly update from the front-line of news and advertising. Aimed at marketers and those involved in the advertising industry.
  • Business owner/co-owner
  • CEO
  • COO
  • CFO
  • CTO
  • Chairperson
  • Non-Exec Director
  • Other C-Suite
  • Managing Director
  • President/Partner
  • Senior Executive/SVP or Corporate VP or equivalent
  • Director or equivalent
  • Group or Senior Manager
  • Head of Department/Function
  • Manager
  • Non-manager
  • Retired
  • Other
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
Thank you

Thanks for subscribing.

Websites in our network