Scrum Wars: The Prime Ministers and the MediaThe image of the scrum -- a beleaguered politican surrounded by jockeying reporters -- is central to our perception of Ottawa. The modern scrum began with the arrival of television, but even in Sir John A. Macdonald's day, a century earlier, reporters in the parliamentary press gallery had waited outside the prime minister's office, pen in hand, hoping for a quote for the next edition. The scrum represents the test of wills, the contest of wits, and the battle for control that have characterized the relationship between Canadian prime ministers and journalists for more than 125 years. Scrum Wars chronicles this relationship. It is an anecdotal as well as analytical account, showing how earlier prime ministers like Sir John A. Macdonald and Sir Wilfrid Laurier were able to exercise control over what was written about their administrators, while more recent leaders like John Diefenbaker, Joe Clark, John Turner, and Brian Mulroney often found themselves at the mercy of intense media scrutiny and comment. |
From inside the book
Results 1-5 of 93
... papers listed, only ten had no party affiliation. This did not mean that all journalists were party hacks. Long ago, John Willison, the influential editor of the Toronto Globe in the 1890s, observed that Canadian reporters “seem to feel ...
... papers and networks. Under enormous pressure to keep up with current news, journalists in the gallery habitually glance over at the competition in the office or desk next to them. And since no one wants to be caught ignorant of a ...
... papers of prime ministers and journalists. For more than a year, she answered my never-ending queries, and always with a smile. Also of assistance were Didier Cencig of Hull, who helped me with the Laurier Papers, Elizabeth Diamond ...
... papers. I thank them, as I do Geoffrey Pearson for allowing me to research and quote from his father's prime ministerial papers. For assisting me in arranging some of these 'interviews and for writing innumerable letters of reference, I ...
... papers received the rewards of loyalty. This meant that except for the brief interlude of Alexander Mackenzie's administration in the mid-1870s, Liberal Party organs did not receive their fair share. But too much should not be made of ...
Contents
No League of Gentlemen 19141956 | 83 |
Illustrations | 104 |
The Unofficial Opposition 19571992 | 207 |
Notes | 365 |
Bibliography | 380 |
Index | 383 |