View all newsletters
Sign up for our free email newsletters

Fighting for quality news media in the digital age.

  1. Archive content
October 11, 2001updated 17 May 2007 11:30am

NoW loses out in ‘crackpot’ ballot for war pool places

By Press Gazette

The News of the World has branded the Newspaper Publishers’ Association method of deciding which national newspapers get places on Ministry of Defence pools to cover the terror war "crackpot".

The NoW and The Guardian ended up without a single place for a reporter or photographer out of 90 firm and reserved positions after last Friday’s bucket ballot process.

The initial result of the ballot, taken before the MoD confirmed it was to operate pools, was to give the Daily Star seven places, the Evening Standard eight and the Financial Times seven. Between them, the Sunday People and Sunday Mirror got 11 places – much to the NoW’s chagrin.

NoW manager Stuart Kuttner immediately told NPA director Steve Oram: "If this was a fair system then – to borrow a phrase from Quentin Letts – I was a Swahili-speaking Pot Noodle salesman. If that’s the best the NPA can offer, it’s a crackpot system."

Oram told Press Gazette the draw had been done under established and agreed arrangements.

When, just five hours after the draw, Express Newspapers pulled out of the pools, the NoW was awarded one reserve place for a photographer. The Standard increased its initial eight places to 11.

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

The Guardian, however, is not about to kick up a fuss. Managing editor Chris Elliott said the paper had Maggie O’Kane and Ian Traynor in north Afghanistan and Rory MacCarthy and Luke Harding in Pakistan.

"These things are the luck of the draw," he said, philosophically. Of those newspapers which pulled the highest number of places, Elliott said: "Maybe these people should do the Lottery rather than journalism because they would enjoy good fortune.

"We rely on our correspondents who have been filing fantastic reports with great courage – particul-arly the people in north Afghanistan."

The Sun will take up its allotted places but has pulled back the six correspondents it had in Pakistan and the US and was this week pulling out of Oman, as budgetary constraints bite at Wapping.

But Sun editor David Yelland said he felt Jamie Pyatt and photographer Harry Page in Pakistan would be in danger if they were in Afghanistan when the bombing began. "You shouldn’t put people’s lives at risk for the sake of Fleet Street willy-waving," he said.

 

By Jean Morgan

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