Yesterday on the Today programme there was a discussion as to if the mainstream media would sit on a story that Guido would not. Sarah Montague dismissed the idea that there is in fact a cosy media elite.

Well here is another story that everyone in the Westminster media knows yet won’t publish. It involves three household names; Jackie Ashley, the Guardian’s cheerleader-in-chief for the Brownies, Alice Miles of The Times, who cheers for the Cameroons and Andy Marr, Gordon Brown’s much favoured BBC interlocutor.

If this story was about soap stars, footballers or chart-toppers it would be all over the papers. If an actress on EastEnders had an affair with an actor on Coronation Street who was married to the star of Emmerdale which resulted in a love-child it would be front-page news on every newspaper.

Yet Andy Marr fathering a child with Alice Miles whilst married to Jackie Ashley goes unreported. Across newsrooms, at Islington and Hampstead dinner parties it has been common knowledge for years. These three journalists are at the heart of the politico-media nexus that constitutes the new ruling class. The producers and editors who are the media gate-keepers would not be keen to dish the dirt on their own… despite the fact that it would be of huge interest to the public.

UPDATE : Lots of high minded left-windbag pomposity about this story. Excellent. The great Stanislav returns in the comments with a verbal tour-de-farce which very eloquently mirrors Guido’s thinking. Don’t recall any of those now attacking “gutter blogging” raising any such hackles when another prominent political journalist’s sexual foibles and follies were exposed. In fact most of them rejoiced everytime Boris Johnson was caught with his pants down…

UPDATE 2011: According to reports, following a DNA test Andrew Marr turns out not to be the father despite having paid paternity for years.