1 Introduction
Journalists … fellows with, in the main, squalid and unfulfilling lives, insecure in their careers, and suffering a considerable degree of dependence on alcohol and narcotics … (The late Alan Clark, MP, ‘Why I hold journalists in low regard’, The Penguin Book of Journalism. Secrets of the Press, Penguin Books, 1999)
A man may write at any time, if he will set himself doggedly to it. (James Boswell, quoting Dr Samuel Johnson)
You have to be prepared to be unpopular if you’re a journalist or a politician. The important thing is that you’ve become unpopular for the right reasons. You’ve tried to tell the truth as you see it. It will help if you can keep off the booze.
Dr Johnson meant women too, of course. It’s a wonderful way ...
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