""Turning to the "gutter press", while I roundly disagree with Don on many things I think he has the right of this. The key feature that marked out the "gutter press" was the inclination to prefer sensationalism often with an agenda. That is in my view a criticism that can fairly be levelled at the Times and the Telegraph today, and has long been a key characteristic of the Mail and the Sun.""

Thank you for that Richard.

It has long been my opinion that truth in newspapers has become a twentieth, and latterly twenty first, century oxymoron.

I don't any longer purchase these rags, preferring to get my news from the BBC which, in spite of the leftward leanings of many of its personnnel, is constrained to stick fairly closely to the (albeit sometimes slanted) truth by the fact that most events involve live coverage, and eye witness testimony.

I believe that anybody who talks to the sad excuse for journalists who make up, or distort, the content of the British Press is a fool.

Far better to refuse comment, as you can then call them fucking liars when they make up a story about you, without risking a libel suit.

Don T.