Read this: #49 - Allegations, injunctions and innuendo

Hello and welcome to the media podcast I'm only man on today's show allegations injunctions and innuendo as politicians and celebrities are doing their best to stay out of the press.

Who knew what on Fleet Street and what are the internet exist can anything stay secret anymore + planning ahead for Saturday night hit this Christmas we discuss morale at the BBC changes to what counts as local at London live and a top prize over to play for in this week's Media quiz that's all coming up on this edition of the media podcast and joining me at the salubrious hospital club in London's Covent Garden this week is none other than the return of the latch and it is former tabloid journalist Tom latchem welcome back to the show Tom and will thank you for having me I'm glad I don't describe myself the last time round but you know there's an hour to go so we shall see it all to play for now last time we spoke of course.

I was in possession of my own speech bass radio show can you adjust the hack how the tables have turned it.

They can do that's Media yeah, I've been shaved off LBC for Katie fucking Hopkins and you you are now on Talksport I am indeed on Talksport yeah.

I've got the big overnight show on Saturday night, so I never listen to you today morning to time midnight meals at 6 a.m.

6s space grey.

I'm really enjoying it.

I've been doing it for 6 weeks now 7 weeks.

I've been standing in for a few people as well the two Mikes I stood in for on in the midweek overnights and haven't great time really learning loads.

It's it's I've been trying to become a radio presenter for then you'll know for for quite a few years now and I'm still trying obviously but I've now got to church.

So good work.

Also joining us this week from our sister podcast The Fabulous broadcast talking TV it is broadcast magazines Jake kanter.

Hello.

Thank you got Radio Ga Ga

Things move quickly and fluently in this world.

Have you been up to this week? I think I was following yesterday's session in Parliament very close to where BBC diversity was discussed for the first time ever on the floor of the house and inclusion rate.

Well.

There's that there is a lot of hair about their mercy, but it does feel like things are genuinely moving in the right direction and something will be written into the BBC's charter.

Do you can get quotas all kinds of different views on how the BBC and other broadcasters I should add ITV's got to have time this week as well.

How they should all move forward on this issue.

They've all got different strategies.

I think some some togetherness would be helpful and hopefully the cultural diversity network which is responsible for all this across the broadcasting industry will step up its efforts when it launches a sore monitor.

Texas the later this year I guess the fact that it is actually being discussed for the first time house, Suzanne stepped forward as there's really positive and I should have done it culminated in a nice little nugget the End from culture minister.

Ed vaizey.

He said for the first time that the BBC white paper on char Charlie was going to be published next month.

I bet you've got a very good working knowledge of culture secretary John whittingdale.

The name is constantly on your lips, but I think it's fair to say he is all the cabinet ministers one who largely does keep out of the National headlines at least until this forthcoming referendum on Europe anyway, so it's perhaps with some surprise that you may have noticed that news of his private life was leading the breakfast bulletins on the Today programme this week and pretty much every other news outlets as well.

The journalist James Cusack have been investigating the story John whittingdale had a relationship with a sex worker for 5 months before.

The Independent closed at the allegation that was never published whilst being pendant was still published as a paper was that John whittingdale have been left open to potential blackmail out.

There's a lot to discuss here isn't let's just go straight for the jugular though by which I mean Tom latchem.

Is this a cover up by the tabloid press know why I knew I was working at the people in 2013 the back of the 2013 when they were looking at this story and I knew the vagina very good and quite close to the photography got the photographs that you'll have seen in the in the media some xx John whittingdale with the with the dominatrix in question and I said oh, that's a good story.

Are you going to do it and they've and there's no public interest is a single man at that time.

He said he didn't know that she was a sex worker nativity.

Did he splat with her and I'll Springs people who know him quite well and they say that is true.

Whether not is in a will.

We might seem that in the coming weeks, but if you do.

On face value there isn't a story there particularly post Leveson I saw that I sort this great.

I think I can't believe that.

This is not the public interest and sort of time.

Is it salacious public so you can I share a single man goes out with a woman? Who is that I should go with this but actually you know what I think you look at it.

I'm not sure that it is an American just and certainly what byline was saying is all it may be open them up to back now and it wouldn't it because we didn't and is it in the public interest there was a lot of supposition that piece and I think some of it was quite overblown actually, but I think I agree it's cleared clearly consensual relationship, but the fact that a government minister is in a relationship with a sex worker and didn't know about it.

That is interesting though, you may be interested in public.

The definition of public interest at 1 weeks.

Didn't know she was a sex worker, but he's lying or he's completely agree most of the public don't know who he is even now even after this week of tabloids in a discussion certainly would have known he was a week ago 2 years ago some people saying there is nothing to do with lack of public interest as it's actually that it's a long story because no one knows who John Whitaker instead of Rex newmark.

He wasn't he wasn't her if cabinet minister wire exposed himself onto a person he thought was a story with a Tory dropped it cost but wasn't was just a sort of seeing him as a reporter run by guido Fawkes but he exposed himself and sent photos of of someone who wanted to be get involved in the Conservative Party politics and the abuse that trust between a conservative MP and an activist even though she did move it.

So that you can say is there is a public interest in that single man goes out with woman and I don't see if I've seen newspapers defending stories about Jeremy corbyn's son big on Tinder and say that that's in the public interest that's not too well.

Let's assume that you're right time and there is absolutely no public interest and this isn't a cover up by the press.

Let's face it you know newspapers.

If something is good enough and strong enough will perhaps take it out on it and are an example of this.

Would I can name when we can discuss Without Fear of reprisals? It is a story that I did on Peter Crouch when I was at the News of the World back in 2010 and 2011 he slept with a teenage prostitute while he was in a stag on a stag do in Madrid we were hunting for a public interest defence and eventually the decision was made about my head.

Am I say let's run the story and if and if he if he does so as the public interest for breaching his his privacy then.

We will have to pay out.

But that was a decision that they decided was worth taking so you Make Me Proud because it seems like that's a decision.

They were happy to make in the case of the selection whereabouts talk about being prepared to make indicator whittingdale.

Yeah, and the reason that perhaps things might have changed 11 of course and I know for instance as an example.

Just this week a friend of mine and contacts of mine said they had a story on a former Premier League start at 10 pundit who had been going on the back of his his current partner and now the papers were touch and so does suggest that there is the chilling effect of levison inverted commas whether that's a bad thing as a good thing there is some effect that Leveson has had on the way the papers operate ok.

Let's talk about that celebrity injunction injustice and finally voce can ask you the same question do you think it's plausible? What is being said about whittingdale? Do you think it is plausible that all these papers have this story and chose not to run it because of who he is not because there's no public.

I don't think it's a dog conspiracy, but I do think that John whittingdale was a useful culture secretary for the national newspapers the advocates light touch regulation and despises the BBC and that you had those two things up and you get a broadly unshackle present and a smaller rival a small of commercial rifle ok, let's move on from the world of light touch regulation and into where what we can were usually call a three in a bed robe, which was the heat alleged story at the Daily Mail and the son of both run frontpage splashes about but of course instead of writing a story they've run front page splashes say but they can't run the story and that an injunction is preventing them from naming anybody involved in this particular sexual Encounter at the mails argument hinges on the information being widely reported abroad and available online now Google has actually since remove links to websites which identify the people who are allegedly involved Tom

This past the public interest test not really it seems to me to be little more than titillation and actually I don't know again this evening good test of whether newspapers.

Are you know back to the Willows story where the newspapers are really committed to public in the public interest journalism weather the celebrity and general has gone down the roofs of saying not an injunction because injunction increases the interest around this and then also because said celebrity is big in other parts of the world the celebrity injunction doesn't work there whether they love actually said enlisted a lawyer a top lawyer which of course they can afford to say this is not in the public interest we have never portrayed ourselves as anything that but this would countenance and Anna and that would have really tested whether newspapers really are so committed to Sue running stories that are only in the public interest.

It seems to come down as well due to the fact that the judge in the court of Appeal was someone who worked in family law and really took the argument that the couple involved had children and therefore the children would be dragged into it this went public.

They didn't seem to consider so much the argument about whether or not this famous person and previously talked about whether they had no open relationship or not.

They were looking at the fact that children are involved does that then mean that if you're a celebrity and you've got children and your playing away from home you can always wheel them out now.

Whenever you take an injunction out your exam for these kind of stories.

You say they should be written about you.

I'm in the story has become the injunction hasn't it is about that.

That's the problem with his injunctions.

Is there may be more intrigued and more interested people go seek it out yet reported.

It would be if you just let it come out and it's so we can actually this celibacy in question saying that this story would have a devastating impact on them.

What is it that I don't like this celebrity anymore? I just don't think I think it's not so actually there is a case for not taking his expensive injunctions because they only end up badly and they increased the interest is slightly preposterous that it's all over the internet and a famous blogger who is well-known to many of your listeners.

I'm sure has written about it twice this week.

Let's talk about another big story from the week, which I'm first sight is intermediate story but I suppose how it got into the press kind of ears and that's the massive leak that we saw in 11 1/2 million files from the world's fourth biggest law firm mossack fonseca which is indicated more than 140 politicians that the data about all of that taxi fares basically was leaked to a German newspaper and then shared globally by the international Consortium of investigative journalists at tell me I imagine you be happy if you receive this kind of data in your inbox one day, but would you be cremated crash? Would you be concerned about where that leak had come from people are saying you know a lot of papers published.

Confirmation without asking I mean that's not a one.

This is quarter you've got to give give all you have to do a litre and then see you see where it goes from there, but but wouldn't you worry about why it been sent to you or why it been leaked quattro you uploaded stuff.

I mean you know there's plenty of people who exist in the world who wants who wants to you could argue for the good of the world or they have their they're terrible in breach of security for whatever reason they do it.

They want that information out there every everyone has an agenda.

Italy Historia have no no matter how big or small.

I think you make a decision based on whether you think that's what you think the information is good and legitimate rather than the reasons for the lake Hattie Jake's from your point of you actually a broadcast now.

We've seen the prime minister and the Chancellor and the leader of the opposition publish their tax returns.

Do you think we're going to see that kind of openness being suggested? I'm probably not sit commercial organisations with the BBC you might have to pay tax return.

Quite possibly and to be fair to the BBC it's very transparent about its own accounts that kind of scrutiny ever did and to the TV industry and effective the babysitting give it only goes as a director general and there are very few people who do that job and I suppose in the way they sort of a political role, isn't it? Somebody you need that that that hand holding through the corridors of power this incredibly dull this isn't the holidays to go? You know what no wine publishing my tax returns on their business because it isn't it's a complete diversionary tactic by David Cameron tell you what is exciting and diversionary Saturday night TV or lovely segway.

Yes, I will be talking about that next after I say.

Thank you very much for everybody who has already taken out a voluntary subscription which is thereby allowing us to continue to produce this magnificent pod.

For you every fortnight if you haven't sponsored us already, please do take a look at the media podcast Ofcom / dedicate and supported.

Thereby taking out a subscription or donate a lump sum and return a Future episode will be dedicated in your name potential by definition is the possibility of achieving more in the fast-paced world of digital advertising Oracle data cloud has built its Legacy on finding the signal through the noise on unlocking potential we bring together data and technology to help you better understand your audience where to best engage them and how to measure a tool to realise true potential Oracle data cloud web better outcomes begin visit Oracle data cloud.

Come to learn more got plans for the long weekend.

You could get your friends round for drinks maybe even your first barbecue of.

It's not too chilly.

Why not don't forget the brancott estate Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc was too chilly for growing but the pioneering winemakers of brancott estate didn't listen.

They were the first to plant in Melbourne New Zealand for decades and a bunch of wards later.

It is crisp and fresh as ever look out for on new colourful limited edition bottles in stores now.

Enjoy responsibly drinkaware.co.uk here in the UK the daffodils have sprung the Easter bunny's a fat on chocolate think that's how it works and the days have got longer summer seems just around the corner.

So what better Time Jake kanter to think about what will be watching on TV in the run-up to Christmas is at the BBC at the moment because the final edition of The Voice received its lowest audience ever 4.5 million viewers 7.1 million in 2012 and was beaten by The Return of Britain's got.

On ITV at fronted by Ant and Dec fiscal affairs again time you'll enjoy this lovely at who thanks to records at companies House we know Made 3 million pounds each last year ITV let's talk about that joke Ant and Dec contract expires in November they are popping up ITV biggest shows could they move elsewhere well there have been reports that they might move elsewhere.

They have even made noises about companies like Netflix but ultimately they won't ITV is there heartland.

It's where they do their best work and I would be gobsmacked if they left absolutely gobsmacked.

I couldn't imagine an Ant and Dec Netflix so I'm going to go.

I don't know how that would work well.

I mean they might be given more flexibility to dabble in other genres potentially I'm in their talked quite a long time about doing a scripted comedy.

Yeah, the new contract might reflect that ambition is an interesting time for sad.

And save I just go back to your original thought because I TV is really mixing things up their hosts The Voice which has had a croaky enter life on BBC one, but I'm sure sure ITV wall breathe some fresh life into it is also made a series of changes behind the scenes so Kevin lygo to come in and start of television and he has this week named Sue green as his head of entertainment.

She is a former cyclist, so she's got good relationships with Simon Cowell she used to run shows like Saturday Night Takeaway she's got those relationships.

She will be well placed to come up with the next big hit and there's a couple of things coming down the track on ITV really interesting acquisition through America will go out one called Little Big shots, which was announced last week that he gets children is children.

He's against another in a physical games for children do a performance skills and then they do I need to be about it.

It's really simple and it's been an app.

Smash hit on NBC in America but if things are right for invention, I think and we due a big entertainment here new breakthrough here and Dermot O'Leary returning to the X Factor because frankly The Getaway carving using a BBC One was terrible and Olly Murs and Caroline Franklin if that was terrible so never go back is what I say.

We're about very quickly but The Getaway car's not done yet.

They sort of resting it made series.

It's made way for the equally brilliant can't touch this yeah, that's a good title at least yes, it is quite holds it it's hard because it's filmed in the shed in Northern Ireland without a TV audience and it's all a bit cold in fairness though Saturday has had a big turnaround if you look back 10 years people are saying Saturday night telly was dead.

It was never going to get an reach The Heights of beagles about Noel's house party solutely is the centerpiece of ITV schedule now, isn't it? What happens on Sunday drama? I guess but Saturday night.

Where is Saturn is to Simon Cowell for that even if you hate everything else about presents Britain's Got Talent and X Factor healthy and they renewing that contract this year, so they may well be some changes in 2017.

Yeah, but let's talk a little bit more about the BBC and the internal workings there because they've lost some of their high-profile creative names behind the scenes Peter Salmon to the Indie Endemol shine and now they had a drama.

Polly Hill has gone to ITV reportedly Jake for twice the salary.

It was gobsmacking.

I think people would genuinely surprised heading up drum at the BBC is considered to be one of the best jobs in TV let alone drama so for her to head to ITV she must have been sold in a pretty compelling package.

I think time will tell I think she's got good relationships with production companies who make shows like Poldark wolf all night manager.

And if she can make those relationships work at ITV then she'll be fine.

She's talked about shows like Prime Suspect being big influence on her career.

So if she tries to repeat some of that success and she'll take ITV in a really good Direction I'm sure but to go back to your point about the BBC it's either clumsy or completely incompetent for them to have lost this many senior people in such a short space of time we know the situation where BBC television is without a permanent controller of drama entertainment and factual at what is a critical time for the BBC and everyone's waiting for this big organisation or review which Tony Hall is going to unveil we think in the next couple of months and without getting too boring he's going to radically reorganiser BBC around genres rather than platforms like Television or online or radiator some news now as in a news channel Al Jazeera America close.

This month after just two and a half years on air for us outpost of the cat Al bait Al Jazeera spent more than 300 million quid acquiring Al Gore's current TV in 2012.

It doesn't massively surprise me does it you Tom the Al Jazeera struggled to find traction in America where I think if you ask murder mystery of a code of lg02.

They'd still associate them with the rock and their coverage of of Al-Qaeda course you babysit see what happens here at the UK have just invested a lot of money in a big need studio at The Shard and they'll be looking at the decision of the US and thinking.

Oh god I wonder if that's going to affect us here.

I think there is still something of reputational problem for Al Jazeera even here and they've been here for years now reporting quality staff in English showing that they can employ jealous best news organisations and be impartial and do international news and still people kind of love.

Love them together with Russia today and press TV as these still that such as they do.

Associated to that I generally people think this is a new channel with an agenda rather than reflecting what are trying to project which is they don't know what they done wrong then not good enough here.

I think I might be alien of marketing in a bit of a local TV station for London to reduce the amount of first run program in they are showing in Peak time at Jake I imagine your strong feelings on this might well.

Revolve around the fact.

They completely Redefined what first run programming means haven't they well there's that which is quite complicated and I'm not entirely sure it is a complete change to the agreements and The Commitments that these stations made at the point that they won their licences.

It's a it's a cigna.

Watering down of their local content without a clear when they launched their called London live because they're supposed to be in a rather like BBC London LBC live talk station about London that was the concept is not gonna be an hour a day, but they always take in pecan people always had alongside that they always had reruns of things set in London like London's Burning and Peep Show wheel count towards that now that overall over on their channel that is ridiculous.

I've asked them about it and they said that we've made these changes because we need to give the licences flexibility local TV is still in its infancy these companies are still finding out what's working and what's not and we need to give her the flexibility to make sure that when things do work that they can carry on with them, but your point is true the perception.

Is it as much as important as the actual.

Contact the local content that they claiming it is local BIOS time we are in the state that we're in there aren't we you know the situation as it is doing it on do regulate it at least this way.

It has a fighting chance of surviving the only horse in town where they so ultimately if you're doing something as a competition that someone is going to win and ew sets and regulations whereby they are they give you the licence on it so long as you were here today, then you should adhere to those if not let someone else have a go who mine and so it is that we turn to what some people call the highlight and others called the media podcast quiz at with injunctions back in the news this week.

We are playing around of we had a lot of leeks at the media podcast office this week and last buckets can catch the worst of the drips some splashes, just need to be exposed so fingers on buzzers buzzing with your name.

Tell me you will say so I'm jq.

Also Jake beautiful.

We looking for the redacted word in the following sentences the winner receives a paddle the loser gets him up.

Here is question number one Boris Johnson's tax return has exposed the value of his Jake Jake Telegraph column, allexcept words writing was the word I was looking for an exciting.

Yes, that's right when you know the story Boris Johnson could be getting as much as 500 word for Telegraph worth every penny.

I think as calculated by Jonathan Walker the political editor of the Birmingham Post and Mail this is because he had to submit a tax return refund.

How much is the ending in total in The Telegraph spell astonishing that isn't 5250 a week or something like that for the media podcast.

I just ate fortnite.

I've got to say I once found a contract of a News of the World columnist.

It's like a good through a bad to interact and they were on £220,000 a year and it wasn't even very good.

He is question number to Stephen Nolan trapped his inner door last week Jake Jake is.

Correct which we are there any three questions.

Yes, it was Jack you were still recording in a self up studio at five live when he managed to read his chair against the door handle trapping himself inside for 35 minutes here is what would be the tiebreaker if Tom had been better.

It's question number three and it's list Waitrose to livestream from a shed until they come home Tom yes Tom the correct well.

How's plural I think in any case Jake wins but according to marketing magazine Waitrose is to broadcast live from a GoPro enabled cow live footage from the dairy farm will be shown on screens at train stations from today gripping.

So they can see you're the winner.

That's it for date.

You can find all of our previous installments and get new ones downloaded automatically straight your phone just head to the media podcast.

Calm happy still for the place to go to support the show you've had a really good response but to be honest we are nowhere near the 300 supporters that we need to keep This podcast properly independent and on the air number that alongside loyal listeners who have dogs eat.

Thank you a special.

Thank you to Colin Dowling who is still a snow loving downtrodden transmission controller for Scandinavia if You Like This podcast and please show your support it couldn't be easier to take you less than 3 minutes when you visit the media podcast.com / dedicate.

I can only man and this is going to PPM production until next time.

Potential by definition is the possibility of achieving more in the fast-paced world of digital advertising Oracle data cloud has built its Legacy on finding the signal through the noise on unlocking potential we bring together data and technology to help you better understand your audience where to best engage them and how to measure a tool to realise true potential Oracle data cloud where better outcomes begin visit Oracle data cloud.

Come to learn more.