'Remember the last time you shouted like that?' I asked the spin-doctor

[muriel_volestrangler]

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,482-1180654,00.html

(You need a paid subscription from outside the UK, unfortunately)

...
My report of what the Butler saw is now safely on air so I answer the phone. It is a call from someone within Downing Street, just yards from where I am standing. I can’t reveal what was said, but suffice it to say that Mr Dyke would have found both its contents and tone familiar.

Just a minute into our coverage of the Butler report and some were already livid at our focus on the errors that Lord Butler of Brockwell had revealed rather than the conclusions which were so welcome in Downing Street. We were alleged to be ignoring the bits which did not suit our story. Yes, they did see the irony in this. I was unimpressed.

Hours later, in an act of gross immaturity, I sent a text message to my caller. “Remember the last time you shouted like that? When I reported that No 10 was privately admitting that they might never find WMD.” I still recall having to hold the phone away from my ear. I still recall the angry denials given to the Press Association which helped to ensure that the story was never followed up. That was last June.
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That is all someone in my sort of job can do. We are not investigative reporters. We do not have expertise in weapons systems or intelligence. We report on politics. Yet we are imbued — rightly or wrongly — with authority to speak on a vast range of subjects. Now, more than ever before, I can see why my reporting angered those who opposed the war. Now, more than ever before, I will pause before relaying what those in power say. Now, more than ever, I will try to examine the contradictory case.
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Nick Robinson is political editor of ITV News

Robinson is actually fairly good at not just parroting the official line. He was the one who said to Bush "what is your conclusion as to why apparently so many free citizens fear you and even hate you?"

As an aside, while searching for the exact quote, I found a reference to it on Free Republic. One poster said, apparently perfectly seriously, that the pink tie Robinson was wearing might indicate he is gay, and that might explain why he hates Bush so much. Geez, their talent for self-parody is the only one they have.

[salvorhardin]

1. To bypass subscription...

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