No defending the tabloids
Sir: Toby Young (Status anxiety, 9 July) suggests that we are only shocked by tabloid phone-hacking scandals because we are ignorant of the ways of tabloid journalism. He seems then to equate phone-hacking hacks with ‘these Fleet Street foot soldiers’ who are busy protecting us from becoming French (shudder) — i.e. even more corrupt. What? Are all the foot soldiers also hackers? I’m not on any high horse, nor am I enjoying an orgy of sanctimony (or of clichés), but to suggest that we should not condemn too readily because the amoral, immoral or downright cruel pursuit of a story is some sort of ethically transcendent category in the search for a purer nation is the sort of editorial comment that makes me wonder if The Spectator really is for me. Ah, but then there’s Peter Oborne’s excellent article.
Tim Clark
By email
Cameron’s career moves
Sir: The piece by Peter Oborne (‘What the papers won’t say’, 9 July) was stunning.
Comments
Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just $5 for 3 monthsAlready a subscriber? Log in