"It was on a Saturday evening in 1987, in the middle of the election campaign, when I took the first call from the News of the World. A needling voice asked me if Peter Mandelson was in the building."
"Employing my recently acquired skills in obfuscation, I said I didn't know. I was told they would be publishing a story about him the following day and were after a quote."
A young press officer working with Peter Mandelson received a call on a Saturday evening in 1987 during the election campaign. The call came from the News of the World, whose interviewer used a needling tone to ask whether Peter Mandelson was in the building. The newspaper announced an intention to publish a story the following day and sought a quote. The press officer employed recently acquired skills in obfuscation and replied that she did not know. The interaction occurred amid campaign pressures and illustrated early encounters between political communications staff and tabloid journalists.
Read at Independent
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]