Quote
"Any journalist worth his salt doesnt think any good story cant be improved a bit. The Canberra press gallery, where I served most of my journalistic life, could prove the case. It might well be the quietest day of a peaceful recess, not a speck of news to be had anywhere; but next days papers have to appear and columns have to be filled. The boys pass one another in the corridor with always the same lugubrious questions and answers. "Quiet, isnt it?" "Yes, dead." Later they gather at a convivial spot and lament the lack of events and stories. They will have a drink on that to let it seep in. Theyll have another few snorts and gradually the ideas will begin to germinate. Next day, when there hasnt been a single politician within a coo-ee of Canberra, devouring readers will learn that "Informed opinion in the Canberra lobbies thinks ...", or "Those in a position to express an opinion believe ..." And so it goes on."
C
Canberra