View all newsletters
Sign up for our free email newsletters

Fighting for quality news media in the digital age.

  1. Media Law
September 7, 2015

Kelvin MacKenzie defends pay-offs to public officials: ‘How else are you supposed to find out the truth?’

By Dominic Ponsford

Former Sun editor Kelvin MacKenzie has said he would probably be in prison if he was editing the paper today.

MacKenzie was Sun editor from 1981 to 1993 and was talking about the practice of paying public officials for stories.

Over the last four years 22 serving and former Sun journalists have faced criminal charges over payments made to public officials.

MacKenzie told The Sunday Times: “If I was doing it now, I would be editing The Sun from Wormwood Scrubs.

“I never asked where stories came from.”

He was speaking to the paper’s business section as part of an interview to promote his consumer rights website A Spokesman Said.

Defending the practice of paying public officials for information, MacKenzie told the paper he would do it “all day and all night”.

Content from our partners
MHP Group's 30 To Watch awards for young journalists open for entries
How PA Media is helping newspapers make the digital transition
Publishing on the open web is broken, how generative AI could help fix it

He added: “Not only would I do it, but I would put a little box on page noe saying we paid eight thousand quid to a public official for this story.”

MacKenzie told the paper that ministers pay public relations advisors to keep information from the public: “How else are you supposed to find out the truth if there’s a scandal going on?” 

Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog

Select and enter your email address Weekly insight into the big strategic issues affecting the future of the news industry. Essential reading for media leaders every Thursday. Your morning brew of news about the world of news from Press Gazette and elsewhere in the media. Sent at around 10am UK time. Our weekly does of strategic insight about the future of news media aimed at US readers. A fortnightly update from the front-line of news and advertising. Aimed at marketers and those involved in the advertising industry.
  • Business owner/co-owner
  • CEO
  • COO
  • CFO
  • CTO
  • Chairperson
  • Non-Exec Director
  • Other C-Suite
  • Managing Director
  • President/Partner
  • Senior Executive/SVP or Corporate VP or equivalent
  • Director or equivalent
  • Group or Senior Manager
  • Head of Department/Function
  • Manager
  • Non-manager
  • Retired
  • Other
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
Thank you

Thanks for subscribing.

Websites in our network