http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/opinion/?service=Rss http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/opinion/matthew-norman-the-fry-affair-was-twitters-first-jfk-moment-1817216.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/opinion/matthew-norman-the-fry-affair-was-twitters-first-jfk-moment-1817216.html <p> Which of us will ever forget where we were when we heard that Stephen Fry had resigned from Twitter? </p> Opinion Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:00:38 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/opinion/stephen-glover-the-guardians-phonetapping-scandal-sunk-by-lack-of-evidence-1817221.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/opinion/stephen-glover-the-guardians-phonetapping-scandal-sunk-by-lack-of-evidence-1817221.html <p> I can still remember the exultant, almost mystical, look on Kirsty Wark's face as she announced that The Guardian was about to reveal a major scandal involving phone tapping and Rupert Murdoch. </p> Opinion Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:00:14 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/opinion/the-feral-beast-cameron-proves-his-blair-genes-1816796.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/opinion/the-feral-beast-cameron-proves-his-blair-genes-1816796.html <p>Proof that Cameron is the heir to Blair. When Tony Blair held press conferences he would almost always ignore <i>Mail on Sunday </i>columnist Peter Hitchens, who would keep his hand up throughout, just to make the point he was being ignored. Now Dave has adopted the strategy too, ignoring Hitchens's raised hand during the announcement of his new EU policy on Tuesday. "Peter was in the front row, and kept his hand up for a good 15 minutes," whispers my mole, "Dave saw him and even smiled in acknowledgement, but didn't let him ask a question." </p> Opinion Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/opinion/stephen-glover/stephen-glover-lets-send-more-reporters-to-brussels-and-lift-the-muslin-veil-1813053.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/opinion/stephen-glover/stephen-glover-lets-send-more-reporters-to-brussels-and-lift-the-muslin-veil-1813053.html ]]> <p>The President of the Czech Republic, Vaclav Klaus, has almost been run to earth, and will soon sign the Lisbon Treaty. It will then become law, and nothing an incoming Tory government has up its sleeve is likely to change that.</p> Stephen Glover Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/opinion/matthew-norman/matthew-norman-is-it-a-mutation-or-a-melding-of-minds-1813056.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/opinion/matthew-norman/matthew-norman-is-it-a-mutation-or-a-melding-of-minds-1813056.html <p> In a metamorphosis worthy of Ovid, new Spectator editor Fraser Nelson is rapidly mutating into his boss Andrew Neil. </p> Matthew Norman Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/opinion/stephen-glover/stephen-glover-the-sound-and-fury-of-the-mob-can-never-be-a-substitute-for-measured-and-reasoned-debate-1809335.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/opinion/stephen-glover/stephen-glover-the-sound-and-fury-of-the-mob-can-never-be-a-substitute-for-measured-and-reasoned-debate-1809335.html ]]> <p>Last week was not a happy one for the media. It was a week in which the voice of the mob tended to drown out the voice of reason. First there was Jan Moir, and then there was Nick Griffin.</p> Stephen Glover Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/opinion/matthew-norman/matthew-norman-its-just-the-start-for-the-david-brent-of-fascists-1809338.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/opinion/matthew-norman/matthew-norman-its-just-the-start-for-the-david-brent-of-fascists-1809338.html <p>Never in the field of media endeavour, to adapt the man posthumously sequestered by the BNP, has so much tosh been written by so many about a single wretched nebbish. "I believe Question Time will be one of the great political events of our time," predicted anti-racism stalwart Kelvin MacKenzie in The Sun. "Right up there with Frost-Nixon." </p> Matthew Norman Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/edward-barker-who-won-in-the-bnp-publicity-war-1808153.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/edward-barker-who-won-in-the-bnp-publicity-war-1808153.html <p> What has the Green Party been up to this week? You probably don’t know because its opponents have not been breaking into BBC studios, writing letters to the BBC demanding its censorship nor has it had a high profile national campaign launched against it. </p> Commentators Fri, 23 Oct 2009 17:17:17 +0100 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/opinion/stephen-glover/stephen-glover-this-injunction-shows-a-real-lack-of--respect-for-the-freedom-of-the-press-1805094.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/opinion/stephen-glover/stephen-glover-this-injunction-shows-a-real-lack-of--respect-for-the-freedom-of-the-press-1805094.html <p>Last week there took place a titanic clash of historic proportions between the courts and Parliament and the courts and the media. I would say Parliament won the battle, though not the war. The media secured only a partial victory, and the courts suffered only a setback.</p> Stephen Glover Mon, 19 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0100 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/opinion/matthew-norman/matthew-norman-unlike-jan-moir-im-nearly-lost-for-words-1805097.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/opinion/matthew-norman/matthew-norman-unlike-jan-moir-im-nearly-lost-for-words-1805097.html <p>It is with the most grievously aching of hearts that I must, today, pass on an announcement from Friday's ... But no, it's much too soon. Allow me some private time with the Courvoisier and a couple of Xanax, and perhaps we will locate the strength to touch on it below.</p> Matthew Norman Mon, 19 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0100 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/opinion/stephen-glover/stephen-glover-not-biased-just-too-nice-is-davis-quite-the-right-man-for-today-1801211.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/opinion/stephen-glover/stephen-glover-not-biased-just-too-nice-is-davis-quite-the-right-man-for-today-1801211.html ]]> <p>Twittering is a new political weapon. Once, if you did not like some aspect of the BBC, you would say so openly. Norman Tebbit attacked it for bias. So did Alastair Campbell. Last week Ben Bradshaw, the Culture Secretary, twittered his disapproval of the Today programme's allegedly soft interviews of leading Tories. He described Evan Davis's questioning of Michael Gove as "disgracefully feeble," and his grilling of George Osborne as "wholly feeble and biased".</p> Stephen Glover Mon, 12 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0100 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/opinion/matthew-norman/matthew-norman-bradshaw-a-true-giant-among-men-1801214.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/opinion/matthew-norman/matthew-norman-bradshaw-a-true-giant-among-men-1801214.html <p>Outrage and distress are occupational hazards for those of us who follow the British media, yet I can't recall being quite so upset as I am today by the smearing of our overseer Ben Bradshaw. Such a luminous political talent is Ben that you have to wonder whether, had the cards fallen differently, he might have risen to become a junior defence minister in the government of Trumpton, or a senior parking permits official in Camberwick Green.</p> Matthew Norman Mon, 12 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0100