Power of the Pen

Abstract

Kaufman, chairman of the House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, was a journalist before he entered politics. Here he argues that journalists are far more worldly-wise than are politicians. "Politicians may believe that journalists are there to serve their purpose," he writes. "In fact, it is politicians, overwhelmingly, who serve the purpose of journalists and can be discarded if that purpose is not served... In the end, the story matters most to them - though they would be stupid if they discarded a useful long-term contact for the sake of a single story."