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
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... cabinet, supplied the journalist with what he needed most: private information about appointments, election dates, and policy decisions. When John A. Macdonald liked a correspondent, such as Martin Griffin or the Toronto Mail's Charles ...
... cabinet, had publicly attacked the Telegraph, a Conservative booster. Apparently Hincks had taken exception to comments made by one of the newspaper's reporters. Macdonald conceded that it was a misunderstanding and then proceeded to ...
... cabinet ministers: “Never in the whole course of my public life have I been in so disagreeable a position.”8 He was dejected, but not yet defeated. His strategy now revolved around whether to sign the treaty. He decided it would be best ...
... cabinet). Governor General Lord Dufferin referred to George Brown, appointed a senator in December 1873, as “the protector of my prime minister.”19 Every prime minister needs a confidant, someone trustworthy who will provide advice when ...
... cabinet. At the same time, he appointed to the Senate Toronto lawyer John O'Donohoe, one of the founders of the Ontario Catholic League, a group formed in 1871 to fight for Catholic rights. Meanwhile there were changes in the upper ...
Contents
No League of Gentlemen 19141956 | 83 |
Illustrations | 104 |
The Unofficial Opposition 19571992 | 207 |
Notes | 365 |
Bibliography | 380 |
Index | 383 |