Is the media unfair to politicians?

The Chairman of the Labour Party has attacked journalists for being "pious and hypocritical" in reporting "misleading" stories about the government.

Charles Clarke accused the media of undermining democracy by exaggerating the scale of sleaze and spin in British politics.

He refers to the row over controversial government e-mails - including one sent by Jo Moore recommending news be "buried" on 11 September and another seeking the political affiliations of Paddington rail crash survivors.

The attack comes at a low-point in the Government's relations with the press who have recently reported on a string of spin and sleaze stories.

Conservatives have accused Mr Clarke of "whingeing" and said Labour should take media criticism "on the chin".

Is the media fair in its reporting of government policy? Do politicians get a raw deal from the press? Or should they accept media scrutiny as part of the job?

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This Talking Point has now closed. Read a selection of your comments below.

Democracy needs openness and debate

Steven Harris, England

When the House of Commons is in Mr Blair's pocket and he can hardly be bothered with it, and when he has emasculated the House of Lords, then politics inevitably takes to the streets, and the streets in this case are the media. In fact Labour had a very easy ride from the press in its first years. Democracy needs openness and debate. The debate should not all be trivial, but the Government obsession with spin has done more than anything to trivialise the debate.
Steven Harris, England

I'm not too worried about unfair treatment of politicos by the media as much as I am about the media becoming a propaganda tool of the regime. I see this more and more in the West - perhaps I'm only now becoming aware of it.
Michael Karcher, USA

At one time in the not too distant past, politicians had the courage to stand on their soap boxes in public and declare their policies and beliefs, at the risk of a ripe tomato or a rotten egg in the face. Now we get carefully orchestrated spin, sound bites, evasion and lies from behind layer upon layer of protection and plausible deniability. The media are the only ones who can get through these barriers and close enough to throw our metaphorical rotten eggs.
Alistair, Azerbaijan (ex-pat)

Be thankful your press is asking the tough questions. We have been having the opposite problem of late in the USA!
Gary, USA

Politicians and the media need each other

Michael, Canberra, Australia

Those who live by the sword should not be surprised if they find the sword has two edges. Politicians and the media need each other. It is a symbiotic relationship that facilitates accountability and a more open democracy.
Michael, Canberra, Australia

If they haven't done anything wrong, they have nothing to fear. Anything else, e.g. policy should be debated by both the people and their representatives. I believe it's called democracy.
Richard Crossley, UK

Frankly, I think one lot are as bad as the other!
Mike Davies, UK

The reporters take all the fun out of it

Mark, US

Of course politicians get a raw deal from the press. Why shouldn't they be allowed to feed at the public trough and keep their dirty little secrets locked away in the closet just like everybody else? The reporters take all the fun out of it by exposing them for what they really are and allowing them to be held up to public ridicule for their sins. Why a scandal or two could ruin a guy. Oh for the good old days when the Crown could squash a newspaper editor like an insect for even hinting at government impropriety.
Mark, US

The media is perfectly fair, free and responding to market forces. In this case the market force is us all being interested and buying their products. So, what the politicians are really saying is that we are all being unfair to them. Their only way out is to give us all some good news to read about.
Phillip Holley, UK

Politicians are there to perform a public service and should not take jobs with high profiles and not expect to be criticised. To expect preferential treatment is childish and unrealistic.
Mel, UK

New Labour would prefer a sycophantic press and no scrutiny

Richard, UK

I thought a free press was essential for a democracy. Presumably New Labour would prefer a sycophantic press and no scrutiny. What state would our democracy be in then?
Richard, UK

When the Tories were in power, they still provided interviews on the Today programme, even though they received a roasting. Today's Labour government wants everything to appear rosy and can't cope when the media get hold of a good true story. The media is only doing its job. When can we expect the Right Honourable Tony Blair PM to appear on the Today programme to receive a grilling? Can he not appear without his entourage of spin doctors?
Brian, UK

I do think Charles Clarke is a bit of a whinger, but it is also a bit rich for the Tories to say that Labour should take media criticism "on the chin". They never stopped complaining that the BBC were biased against them when they were in power.
Jane, Wales, UK

I don't know whether to laugh or be sick. I'm actually in the middle of writing a letter to complain that the BBC News at Ten last night was too soft on a Labour minister! Thanks to New Labour this electorate is undergoing an involuntary education in media studies, particularly news management and preferential press selection (feeding 'exclusives' to journalists cynical enough to give Labour an easy ride - we can tell and it's pathetic). What's most galling is the flagrant absence of anything BUT spin and vanity.
JGB, UK

How unreasonable of the press to report on the bold lies of the government!
David Price, UK

They have only themselves to blame

Ian, UK

Until politicians start behaving like responsible adults then of course they are going to get a rough ride. They have only themselves to blame.
Ian, UK

The wise thing to do with any criticism is to ask oneself first if there is any justification for it. However the available evidence is that such self-examination is not in the character of New Labour. Although the phrase "gutter press" is usually deserved, and given that journalists are constantly after the sensational and the salesworthy rather than the truth (which in some cases is a lot more boring) I reckon that most of the stick the politicians get is deserved.
P, UK

Politicians regularly use the press for their own ends by means of leaks, off the record briefings and other dubious practices. In my opinion this lays them wide open to the closest scrutiny that can be applied.
Rodger Edwards, UK

To put it simply, yes. The media should report facts, putting them to the public in an unbiased manner in order for people to make judgements of their own. The British media has a nasty tendency to force its own narrow minded opinions upon the public. A journalist's job is to report facts, not pass their own opinions.
D. Walton, UK

They should concentrate on important issues

Derek Blyth, UK

Much of the media seems to concentrate on trivia but makes it sound important. Who cares if Tony Blair wanted a bigger role in the Queen Mother's lying in state or not? They should concentrate on important issues rather than attempting to discredit the government with trivia.
Derek Blyth, UK

I don't think Mr Clarke is whingeing. Having read his previous measured comments on this subject, I think he accepts (as he should) that certain members of this government have made mistakes and they should quite rightly be held accountable for them. I agree with him though that the media obsession with personalities and the determination to continue to fuel stories associated with such people (even if they run out of steam naturally) is completely inappropriate.
Robert Crosby, Nottingham, UK

Politicians are as much to blame as the media for putting themselves in such a position to be worthy of a news item. The problem with the Labour government is that when such a news story breaks they try to change it with help from a spin doctor or two.
Nigel, UK