How to smother bad news - Daily Telegraph
Whilst we wait with bated breath, here is one journalist's reaction to being summoned to the 'lock-in':-
One of the basic tenets of good
PR is making sure you get your side of the story across. Sometimes, deluging cynical hacks with information, facts and quotes can smother a story far more effectively than a blanket of silence. It's a lesson the Ministry of Defence has only recently learned, but is now applying with a vengeance to Nimrod XV230.
That was the RAF spyplane that exploded over Afghanistan last September, killing 14 servicemen and triggering a wave of speculation about the condition of the 30-year-old Nimrods and the technical warnings that the MoD had ignored. So before the long-awaited Board of Inquiry into the crash is given to MPs this afternoon, hacks like me will be treated to a three-hour barrage of briefing and interviews with senior officer at the MoD. We're grateful, of course, but the whole thing looks a lot like someone is trying to manage bad news before it breaks.
Journalists like Mick Smith have done what we can to bring the facts about XV230 to light, but much credit goes to Graham Knight, whose son Ben was aboard the plane. Through diligent research and use of Freedom of Information laws, he has brought out many facts that are uncomfortable for the MoD. He has done much to honour Ben's memory and like the other families, deserves the truth today. Whether he gets it remains to be seen.
Posted by James Kirkup on 04 Dec 2007 at 11:24
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Last edited by Lyneham Lad; 4th Dec 2007 at 14:40.
Reason: Link added