View all newsletters
Sign up for our free email newsletters

Fighting for quality news media in the digital age.

Ken Clarke brands press reports of youth police commissioner tweets ‘disgraceful’

By William Turvill

Sign up for our free weekly digital magazine, Press Gazette Journalism Weekly, and daily newsletter

Conservative minister Ken Clarke has described the media coverage of former youth police commissioner Paris Brown as “disgraceful”.

Speaking before last week’s broadcast of Question Time on BBC One, Clarke said he felt “very sorry for her”.

He was joined on the panel by Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee, former Labour minister David Blunkett, ex-Liberal Democrat leader Ming Campbell and former Daily Telegraph editor Charles Moore.

Brown, 17, stepped down from the £15,000-a-year as youth police commissioner for Kent  last week after twitter messages written by her were published in newspapers.

“It’s ludicrous the way she was treated by the newspapers,” Clarke said in comments before the broadcast. “It is scandalous the way they treated her like they’d treat David [Blunkett] and myself.

“I find it disgraceful the way she was handled by the media.”

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
David Blunkett said he generally advises young people not to use Twitter but said was surprised to hear Brown described as a "disgrace".
 
He said: “I mean, we oldies are disgraced by things we’ve done but at 17 you need to be forgiven. And I think it’s deeply unfortunate."

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