Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #709713 in Books
• Published on: 2002-07
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 400 pages

Synopsis
BBC Political Correspondent Nicholas Jones examines New Labour and its record of spin. This new paperback edition covers the Jo Moore affair.

Customer Reviews

A book that should not be ignored!!!
"Deeply depressing stuff" was the thought I had when reading this over the Christmas break. Depressing yet vital, the author provides a detailed and reasoned expose of those now dreaded expressions of political life today; 'Spin' and 'Media management'. The author continues where he last left off in his previous books by asking questions that Messers Blair, Campbell and Mandelson would rather he didn't. It is said that journalism is the first draft of history...

A nerd writes
Nick Jones is a self styled nerd - or anorack as he would say - who apparently deeply loathes the Labour Party and Tony Blair's government. This book is a collection of micro moments as Jones whinges about Labour's alleged media manipulation.

Those who have followed his work over the years will recognise his movement from fascination with Labour's once amateurish attempts to get to grips with the media to his horror as Labour became quite good at it.

His complaints about Labour's 'manipulation' of the media will be familiar to all and every press officer in any job. Jones is just not living in the real world - no press officer's job is to help journalists. Rather their job is to assist the organisation they work for. If hacks get cheesed off because press officers do not tell them the full story they should earn their pay by doing some real work.

Governments of the the left are not attacked on the basis of polcy - but on the basis of legitimacy. Jones's book is just one part of that attack.

Repetitive
If you have read Sultans of Spin by the same author, you do not need this book. Sultans of Spin is better - more analytical and more vivid. The fact that it covers a slightly earlier period is not really a disadvantage. Jones has little to add in this book.

If you have not read Sultans of Spin, you may find some interest in the comments of an experienced political journalist of conservative inclinations on the New Labour spin doctors, but there are better books such as the biographies of Campbell and Mandelson.