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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... deals with a person like Jones that he uses his force with the cruelty, necessary, and laudable, that one uses towards ... deal of his time and effort, as it would those of his successors. PART ONE Partisan Partners, 1867-1913 This page ...
... deal disappointed by the tone in which political warfare is conducted by the press. The terms in which you have been assailed quite exceed the license of electioneering language. Lord Dufferin to John A. Macdonald, 1872 t the McGill ...
... deal more about newspapers than he was willing to admit. By 1871 he had been the Dominion's prime minister for four years and an active politician for twenty-eight. In the historic road he had travelled from his position as Kingston's ...
... deal with John Riordon, a wealthy paper manufacturer from St. Catharines who was owed $15,000 by the Mail. In lieu of payment, Riordon obtained a chattel mortgage for $12,000 and the Mail received its daily supply of newsprint. Matters ...
... deal of advice for Creighton and his staff over the next three years. Some of it was sound, some of it not. The trouble was that Creighton, as a party-appointed managing editor, was supposed to obey, no questions asked. It was nearly ...
Contents
No League of Gentlemen 19141956 | 83 |
Illustrations | 104 |
The Unofficial Opposition 19571992 | 207 |
Notes | 365 |
Bibliography | 380 |
Index | 383 |