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. |
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... Pearson's office still classified the newspapers he received as “Conservative,” “Liberal” or “Independent,” and of the thirty-eight Canadian papers listed, only ten had no party affiliation. This did not mean that all journalists were ...
... Pearson, I used each prime minister's let~ ters and papers as my primary guide; for the last chapters, from Pierre Trudeau to Brian Mulroney, I relied on the numerous books and articles dealing with this era as well as on the more than ...
... 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 thank Jack McClelland, Peter C. Newman ...
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Contents
No League of Gentlemen 19141956 | 83 |
Illustrations | 104 |
The Unofficial Opposition 19571992 | 207 |
Notes | 365 |
Bibliography | 380 |
Index | 383 |