View all newsletters
Sign up for our free email newsletters

Fighting for quality news media in the digital age.

  1. Archive content
November 10, 2005updated 22 Nov 2022 5:27pm

Sky finds Wade arrest ‘irresistible’

By Press Gazette

When
Sky News crime correspondent Martin Brunt had a tip-off that Sun editor
Rebekah Wade was being held at a London police station, he said the
channel had little hesitation in going public with the news.

He
said adages such as dog doesn’t eat dog counted for little when it came
to such a sensational story, and the fact that Wade is a major figure
in another part of the Rupert Murdoch media empire was also quickly
discounted.

Murdoch’s News Corporation not only owns The Sun, but is also the major shareholder in BSkyB.

Brunt
said: “I got the story from a contact who told me he felt that it
probably wasn’t a story for me because of the closeness within the
group. But clearly it was a sensational story and journalists love no
story more than stories about each other.” Brunt said: “I called the
newsdesk and understandably it was referred one up the chain. Very
quickly the message came back, ‘go with it’. I’d have been surprised if
it hadn’t been referred, given that we were talking about somebody who
was an important figure in our group. But I was encouraged that that
didn’t present a problem.”

The story was broken by Sky at 11.15am on Thursday and led the news agenda.

Brunt
said: “The irresistible ingredient was that she’s married to perhaps
our biggest soap star – that really made it a story. If it had just
been her, would we have run it? I think yes. If we hadn’t run it there
might have been a charge of hypocrisy.”

Content from our partners
How PA Media is helping newspapers make the digital transition
Publishing on the open web is broken, how generative AI could help fix it
Impress: Regulation, arbitration and complaints resolution

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