Lobby Turn on Each Other in Latest Modernising Row mdi-fullscreen

Yesterday the PM visited a primary school to promote the government’s new early learning review, during which he gave an interview to a PA pool camera, covering everything from vaccine passports to his need for a haircut.

The media tradition has been that because pool camera interviews are for broadcasters, there’s not a need for newspaper hacks to receive transcripts of what was said – a tradition that’s becoming increasingly annoying to some members of the Lobby. The Sun’s Kate Ferguson led the charge in the Lobby WhatsApp group chat last night, ranting it’s a “ridiculous situation” she should have to find out what Boris said via the BBC Politics Twitter account “at 530pm”.

Kuenssberg quickly stepped in to explain that, historically, “the broadcast pool is technically a broadcast arrangement” and therefore there’s not been a history of sharing transcripts. Though she’s happy to pass them on when it’s a BBC camera rather than PA…

The Sun’s Harry Cole wasn’t having any of it however, messaging “We are in different times tho… in the digital age its totally unfair for our online desks to be spotting new stuff going up 6 hours after the clip was shot that no one in print was even aware had been said”

The problem for the Lobby hacks is that with all platforms going digital they haven’t modernised their methods and in some ways are lagging behind Downing Street …

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mdi-timer March 26 2021 @ 09:08 mdi-share-variant mdi-twitter mdi-facebook mdi-whatsapp mdi-telegram mdi-linkedin mdi-email mdi-printer
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