RESEARCH TOOLS


Alastair Campbell

Journalist & Media
24-hour news Accountability Accuracy Agenda-driven Journalism Al Qaida Alan Yentob + 273 more
Gave statements at the hearings on 30 November 2011 (AM) and 14 May 2012 (PM) ; and submitted 4 pieces of evidence

First witness statement 29 November 2011

This is a lengthy, critical essay on the state of journalism in short sections, most of which are illustrated with examples either from Campbell’s personal experience or from recent journalism. He also supplies links to articles. These are the section headings: A summary of the debit side, The context of change, A changed definition of news, When Hysteria becomes inhumane, The fusion of news and comment / invention, The story right or wrong, Politics and the media, The decline of genuine investigative journalism, Relations between politicians and owners / editors, Papers as political players / journalists as spin doctors, The reliance on anonymous (and often invented) quotes, Culture of negativity, Labour should have addressed the issue when in power, Culture of negativity extends well beyond politics, The media controls the terms of debate about the media, Dubious practices, Private detectives as journalists, Phone hacking, Other activities of which I have personal experience, The uselfulness of the PCC and what might replace it, Breakdown of contempt of court laws, Non-aggression pacts between newspapers, Proprietorial interference, including in breach of undertakings, The herd and the bullying culture, The chance for a free press worth the name. (A draft version of this statement was published in draft form on the Guido Fawkes website several days before its publication by the Inquiry. This was discussed at the Inquiry.)

Oral evidence 1 30 November 2011

Morning session, beginning transcript p5

Questioned by Robert Jay QC, Campbell is led through the evidence in his statement, adding some details and comments.

Second witness statement 30 April 2012

Again a lengthy statement, this follows the style of the first, its ordering reflecting questions sent to Campbell by the Inquiry. His headings are: Why media relations were changing, Why Labour needed to change, Changing the terms of Labour’s media relations, A neutralisation strategy, Why print media remains important in the digital age, Why good media-political relations are in the public interest, Failure to act re the press, Difference between opposition and government / changes we made, The real spin doctors are the journalists, Election campaigns, Newspapers and ‘power’, Personal campaigns, Lessons to learn, Nicholas Soames MP, New regulation is needed, but regulation alone will not change culture, Lord Hunt’s proposals, Differences between print and other media, My contacts with proprietors and journalists, Rupert Murdoch, Other editors / broadcasters, Number 10 communications, Order in Council, Strategic communications unit, Why spin became such an issue, The working day, Whether we could have done things differently, Phillis Review, Reaction to Hutton, Specific stories, The Mail. An appendix repeat relevant parts of the first statement. There are few references to particular articles, except in the section labelled Specific stories.

Oral evidence 2 14 May 2012

Afternoon session, beginning transcript p1.

Questioned by Robert Jay QC. A rehearsal of some of the evidence in the statement, with reference to other evidence sometimes at odds with Campbell’s account. Particular attention is given to the way in which Downing Street media operations functioned, relations with Rupert Murdoch and his papers, and at the end to forms of regulation.

Hearing Videos and Transcripts

30 November 2011 (AM)

Questioned by Robert Jay QC, Campbell is led through the evidence in his statement, adding some details and comments.

14 May 2012 (PM)

Questioned by Robert Jay QC. A rehearsal of some of the evidence in the statement, with reference to other evidence sometimes at odds with Campbell’s account. Particular attention is given to the way in which Downing Street media operations functioned, relations with Rupert Murdoch and his papers, and at the end to forms of regulation.

Witness Statement

Second Witness Statement of Alastair Campbell
Witness Statement for witness Alastair Campbell
Witness Statement of Alastair Campbell
Witness Statement for witness Alastair Campbell

Evidence

Oral Evidence given by Alastair Campbell
Oral Evidence for witness Alastair Campbell
Oral Evidence given by Alastair Campbell
Oral Evidence for witness Alastair Campbell

Themes

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Journalism & society
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Regulation
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Politics
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Future of journalism
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Background & history
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Subsequent developments
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Ethics & abuses
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