View all newsletters
Sign up for our free email newsletters

Fighting for quality news media in the digital age.

  1. Comment
April 9, 2014updated 10 Apr 2014 2:36pm

Nadine Dorries bans Telegraph journalists from attending her book launch after ‘spiteful nasty’ review

By Axegrinder

Axegrinder is no expert on the dark arts of PR but he suspects that banning journalists from a particular paper from your book launch party after a bad review is not the way ahead.

Katy Balls from the Telegraph’s Mandrake diary column emailed Zeus publishing yesterday afternoon to enquire if a representative could attend the launch party that night for MP Nadine Dorries’ novel The Four Streets.

The response was this bombshell from the PR:

I'm afraid after the slew of nasty coverage about Nadine in the Telegraph this week the team think it best not to have you there. Sorry about that but I really want her to have a wonderful night and not have to worry about anything.

I'll be sure to let you know about future events.”

Slew of nasty coverage?

Well Christopher Howse did say it was the “worst novel I’ve read in 10 years” in his review.

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

The only other Telegraph coverage of the book was this piece by Matthew Holehouse. It is gentle ribbing at worst, but he does give the publisher a plug at the end.

There was also the cheeky quiz: Who said what? Nadine Dorries or Father Ted.

And a further piss-taking article by David Thomas headlined: Nadine Dorries and a tale of Mersey and misery.

Mandrake editor Tim Walker registered his protest about the ban to be told:

I have not one doubt that Katy is excellent, she was most welcome at James Naughtie's lovely launch last month and I'd be delighted to see her, or any of your team, at future events. But Nadine has had some really rather nasty coverage in the Telegraph this week and has asked that there be no representative of the paper there tonight.

My job is to protect and support my authors, I am very loyal to them. 

I am however, sincerely sorry to disappoint you."

Regular Axegrinder readers will recall how Walker blew the whistle on how a PR for Mastercard had made coverage demands as a condition of attending the Brit Awards.

He told Axegrinder: “It's bonkers. Nadine seemed to be saying only diarists from papers that gave her awful book a glowing review could attend. She has been taking the moral high ground over Maria Miller but doesn't get arrogant MPs who seek to control the press are not flavour of the month.”

Meanwhile Dorries clearly thinks the Telegraph has it in for her:

Topics in this article :

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