Was Tory leadership row the last straw for Telegraph Editor?

Martin Newland, The Daily Telegraph's editor for two years, has resigned and the reason may be found in something noted on this site last Saturday:

"The Telegraph (read by half of Tory members) is the most prized endorsement.  Last week it encouraged its members not to vote yet and ask tougher questions of the two contenders.  ConservativeHome understands that there may be a difference of opinion between most of the newspaper's editorial staff and the newspaper's management.   The editorial staff are keen to endorse Mr Cameron soon; the management and owners have apparently been more cautious."

Tonight's Times suggests that The Telegraph had planned to endorse David Cameron last Saturday (the same day on which The Mail endorsed Mr Cameron - in a leading article thought to have been personally written by its Editor, Paul Dacre).  That Newland endorsement was pulled at the last minute, however, "on the orders of Murdoch MacLennan, the chief executive of the Telegraph Group".  There is understood to be fury amongst journalists at The Telegraph that it has failed to lead debate within the Conservative Party because of boardroom pressure on the editorial staff.  Mr Newland had also been unhappy at other personnel changes at the newspaper - John Bryant had recently been recruited from The Mail and installed as editor-in-chief of the daily and Sunday titles.

Mr Newland's resignation comes on the day after Conrad Black, the man who appointed him, faced fraud charges in the US.  It was only recently that Sarah Sands replaced Dominic Lawson at The Sunday Telegraph and Boris Johnson's departure from The Spectator (another Telegraph Group title) is expected imminently.   

Comments

[Rick]

I couldn't care less if the Telegraph endorsed David Beckham for Tory Leader, but unless The Telegraph starts to improve its news coverage and start filling those broadsheet pages with more than tabloid fayre they may need to think of shedding a lot more staff.

It now costs 65 pence in place of 60 pence and frankly the paper is a void, it lacks serious news content and with The Times being "lite" it makes it hard to find a paper with depth.

[Innocent Abroad]

Twaddle. MA's departure had nothing to do with the Tory leadership election - and though the Cameroons won't have much time for his replacement, they will wet their pants about BoJo's. [Hint: it's *not* going to d'Ancona]

[Richard Allen]

"on the orders of Murdoch MacLennan, the chief executive of the Telegraph Group"

Who happens to be a very good friend of Simon Heffer.

[Torygraph insider]

Apparently there was a considerable amount of fluster when John Bryant was asked this afternoon as he rallied the remaining troops - 'what happens if Sarah Sands [editor of the Sunday Tel] resigns too".
Martin left because his position was made untenable by that shit MacLennan. Anyone who thinks that Bunter Heffer is going to get the job is living in la-la land. Randall must be the fave (but will he be the DD of the contest?)
Don't count on getting any 'real' news in the paper though. Expect more Daily Mail - just on bigger pages.

[Alastair Matlock]

Well then Torygraph Insider? Are they going to endorse Cameron or not?

[Richard Allen]

"Well then Torygraph Insider? Are they going to endorse Cameron or not?"

I would imagine not.

[Alastair Matlock]

They're going to look foolish if they don't. Even the Daily Mail are ahead of them on this one.

[Richard Allen]

If you believe that not backing the likely winner is foolish then yes. Personally I don't accept such a notion.

[malcolm thomas]

I don't think newspapers have a role in backing candidates. For a start each time they back one candidate over another they alienate any readers who hold opposite opinions...surely bad for business, but do the journalists care?

BJ at the Spectator declared for Cameron before the contest hardly started, and ensured the others got no coverage. This is wrong.

The idea behind a democratic process is not for the media to hijack the decisions to themselves, presenting baised reports according to their chosen candidate. The media should act as a channel enabling all candidates to get a fair hearing.

The journalists declaring support are failing in their jobs, by trying to promote their own interests above those of their readers, and the democracy we all depend upon to function well.

Journalists might be desperate to declare favour to a future leader and be a favoured future news channel but who gives a **** about what they want. The readers need to hear all the arguments.

The Telegraph is right not to declare. The Spectator should have given Liam Fox a fair chance which they didn't do. My respect for all these egoists such as BJ has taken a dive, and I'm delighted that they are all getting themselves tied up in knots about it now.

It's time the arrogance of the media elite got brought down to earth - preferably with a big bump. Alistair Campbell has completely corrupted the way they all think, and they are all desperate to play the favours for rewards game with the new team and out-Murdoch Murdoch.

Well done the Telelgraph for standing clear of seeking favours. You deserve more trust for this not less as implied above.

[petersmith]

"They're going to look foolish if they don't."

Is that what you think a newspaper's job is?

What a world this is becoming...

[petersmith]

It makes you realise how brilliant CONSERVATIVEHOME has become. This has been the only place where the leadership race has been covered in detail, with ALL the issues being explored, fairly, entertainingly, and often with illumination.

Do you remember the debate on this blog about Cameron and Davis and tax? Where else in the media have you seen an exploration of those issues of similar depth?

This blog has sometimes seemed to favour one candidate or another - and yet it's never been clear, it still isn't clear to me who the Ed is supporting, and that has contributed to it working so well. The Editor's views on the world are clearly expressed in other parts of this site. And yet it has had no negative effect on the audience for this blog.

The future of political discussion is not newspapers but the net. ConservativeHome leads the way.

[CJ]

Somewhat off topic, for which apologies, but I just wanted to throw in that I attended a dinner addressed by Liam Fox last night. He was brilliant as ever, spoke fluently, passionately and intelligently without notes, gave us both style and substance, and actually gave us a clear idea of where he thinks the Party needs to go. I'm more convinced than ever that the MPs did the membership a great disservice by not putting him through to the final round.

[john Skinner]

I wonder whether the arrival of Simon Heffer was the final straw for Martin Newland. The loathesome columnist is carrying on his obsessional stalking of David Cameron today, claiming ( against all the evidence ) that he was trounced by Paxo.
Amusingly, the spiteful little creep thinks Cameron is "petulant".

[Barbara Villiers]

Bravo Malcolm!

You have said (and so articulately too) what I have been saying on this blog for ages and have been dismissed as some mad old trout!

The media (both print and television) have behaved disgracefully. I have always known that lobby journalists are a particularly grubby lot and the that the BBC are biased but it has hit home with a bang during this campaign. Add to that the MPs who have clambered on bandwagons at the last minute and the picture is quite frankly, disgusting.

The most worrisome thing is that the media does not have the interests of the Party at heart - this is a vicious little ego game and they will evince huge pleasure in tearing their 'Blue Eyed Boy' to bits and this will be a huge detriment to the Party.

Thank you again for putting this so well and thanks too Pete for seconding.

[Derek]

CJ - I agree that it was a shame that LF did not get to the members ballot, but I accept that there has to be a cut-off point somewhere. My preference would be to put before the membership any candidate who achieves a minimum of 30% of MPs support. Sadly that would still not have allowed Liam through, though it would have let Portillo through in 2001, [despite that, I still support that view!]

I trust and expect that Liam will be given aleading role in the new Team.

[Rick]

Speaking of the vacuity and mendacity of journalism I now learn that the "childless" policewoman shot in Bradford has 5 children; that far from being a "teenager" she was 38 years old; that (Telegraph) the shooting took place "in a former red-light district" - it was not and never has been.

I feel I have been reading works of complete fiction in these newspapers - just why do these editors get paid £400-800.000 pa ? They don't seem to have any standards.

If they distort facts and speculate so readily on News then we cannot expect any veracity when it comes to Politics.

[malcolm]

'The media (both television and print)have behaved disgracefully'.Tough.
We have to work with the media as it not as how we want it to be.It was the same for the Labour party in the 1980's when the press was overwhelmingly on our side.
If and when we can start to look like a credible alternative government we will pick up more support in the media as they generally want to back winners.
Moaning about how unfair they are achieves absolutely nothing.

[Barbara Villiers]

No, it is not tough. Nobody ever changed things for the better by appealing to the lowest common denominator. Should Wilberforce have said 'oh well, that's how things are, so fold up?'. We'd still have slaves!

The media have sunk to new lows as has modern culture in general - where no talents becime celebrities because they bared their siliconed bits in public. So do we accept that or say, quite honestly, we've had enough. And don't buy into their garbage. I can choose my own leader thank you and don't need the trashy Mail or the self righteous Guardian to help me.

[Richard Allen]

"I wonder whether the arrival of Simon Heffer was the final straw for Martin Newland. The loathesome columnist is carrying on his obsessional stalking of David Cameron today"

It was Cameron who chose to pick a fight with Heffer. He (and his supporters) have no right to complain when Heffer hit's back.

[Rick]

Read any provincial newspaper of 30 years ago in the archives and you will see coverage of serious issues superior to any national daily today.

Newspapers have turned into gossip-sheets and magazines, using colour to replace content. The new all-colour presses at the Telegraph and Times will render them little better than National Enquirer. The owners have made a conscious decision to turn newspapers into magazines with star columnists, competitions, and salacious reporting. Politics is cheaper than hard news because it is like covering Hollywood and turning all issues into personality issues to amuse the masses whilst the insiders can sew up lucrative deals and legislation.

It will be interesting to see how long rich men like O'Reilly, Murdoch, et al continue to run these advertising sheets to buy access; the circulations must be corroding as the repetitive soap opera of politics becomes so fake and sham. I read in one rag that Ed Vaizey was seen drinking with Benjamin Wegg-Prosser, formerly Mandelson side-kick and whose grandfather stood I believe, for the New Party in Limehouse back in the 1930s.

They are all part of the same clique creating brand images to differentiate the same product - self-seeking, self-serving men on the make.

[Barbara Villiers]

Rick,

Well done!

I wonder if anyone has seen Ann Trenneman's absolutely snide, vicious little report of David Davis giving a history lesson in a South London school. It was needlessly nasty from beginning to end but then I forgot that the Times is the school newspaper for the Cameroonies.

Yet another reason to vote for Davis, no old school ties in sight.

[Barbara Villiers]

Has anyone seen this morning's Torygraph? Apparently the Treasury has some highly damning information of Cameron which the Telegraph was able to access because of the Freedom of Information Act. However it is still not able to fully disclose because 'it would cause damage to DC personally'.

Now this is exactly what we should all fear - not the fact that DC did Class A drugs but that the Government and the papers will have a field day with it. Damaged goods before he even started. This could be a disaster for the Party.

[malcolm]

Well Barbara you can carry on bleating about the media but you will not achieve a thing.One of the biggest mistakes David Davis' team made was right at the beginning of his campaign when they adopted a bullying approach to some sections who should have been his natural friends.The results you can see today.
The Conservative party as a whole should be courting all the media all the time.Not in a Blairite way of deciding policy for the next days headlines but by being professional and friendly to them at all times.The last Conservative leader who understood that was Mrs Thatcher (although probably Howard did too).

[Rick]

Malcolm - court the media - the simple point is that it is no longer particularly relevant to the electorate.

Media is seen as the place that warehouses prospective MPs - Lance Price, Ben Bradshaw, Austin Mitchell, Gordon Brown, Peter Mandelson, Ruth Kelly, Ed Balls, Yvette Cooper, Julie Kirkbride, Bill Bush, et al

Then we have the ones who hide in the system like Jeremy Mayhew formerly an amanuensis to Peter Lilley but now in the BBC Strategy unit; or the woman negotiating the Charter renewal whose husband works in No 10.

The public is fed up of media and buys DVDs instead of watching the propaganda from the elite which is pumped out like effluent from a fall pipe. Adam Boulton lives with Anji Hunter, and Blunkett votes Labour and sleeps Tory just like Oswald Mosley.

This is a complete sham. It is Adland and people are switching off completely, and not just here, everywhere. It is the complete perversion of information and politics/media is like fat in the drains obstructing the flow.

New Labour was a media creation, it required Mandelson to keep stories out of the media so people did not learn what a bunch of third-raters Blair wanted to hoist into office - now the Tories think it is poor media image that costs them votes - when it is simply that their past is worse than Labour's present.