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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... wanted, sometimes demanded, was loyalty and devotion. All of which brings us back to Martin Griffin on Thursday, March 7, 1878, at 3 p.m. Sitting there in the gallery waiting for the session to begin, Griffin was no doubt aware of the ...
... wanted the job) and with the help of Brown and the Globe faced the challenges of a depression and the indecisiveness of Edward Blake (who resigned twice from the cabinet). Governor General Lord Dufferin referred to George Brown ...
... wanted in Toronto. Then “madness struck.”12 The crisis at the Mail simmered slowly in 1882 and boiled to a thundering climax in 1887. At the crux of the problem lay age-old Protestant prejudice and fear of Roman Catholics. In 1881 ...
... wanted to make an official announcement about their forthcoming private talks, but Blaine and President Harrison would not permit it. The Liberals, who were still formulating their platform for the next election, needed to know what was ...
... wanted his “enemies” of the Tory press to suffer as he had. But in Toronto, Magurn's boss, John Willison, a more forward-looking man, argued against this. Though he too had experienced partisan discrimination during his time in the ...
Contents
No League of Gentlemen 19141956 | 83 |
Illustrations | 104 |
The Unofficial Opposition 19571992 | 207 |
Notes | 365 |
Bibliography | 380 |
Index | 383 |