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 64
... asked the Liberal leader in the Quebec assembly, Henri Joly de Lotbiniere, to become premier.1 This was all too much for Griffin, a dedicated and traditional Tory who deeply resented such slick Grit manoeuvres. Griffin was born in St ...
... asking him to come to the Queen's Hotel at once. Patteson grabbed his top hat and walked the short distance to nearby Bay and King. Waiting for him in the hotel's “Red Parlour” were Prime Minister Macdonald, Macpherson, and the rest of ...
... asked for twenty-four hours to think about it. Returning to his office, he applied for a raise, but was turned down by the recently elected government of Edward Blake (the premier apparently vetoed the increase himself). Patteson ...
... asked his old friend Frank Smith, a leading Toronto Catholic businessman and a senator since 1871, to join the cabinet. At the same time, he appointed to the Senate Toronto lawyer John O'Donohoe, one of the founders of the Ontario ...
... asked Macdonald what purpose it would serve to discriminate against the Mail; he received no reply), and he also applauded the Empire's strong rejection of “unrestricted reciprocity and commercial union with the United States.”31 ...
Contents
No League of Gentlemen 19141956 | 83 |
Illustrations | 104 |
The Unofficial Opposition 19571992 | 207 |
Notes | 365 |
Bibliography | 380 |
Index | 383 |