Conquest of the Useless

Conquest of the Useless

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Gail's, The Guardian, and a proxy war in the press
A clumsy column about north London bakeries and the Israel-Gaza war has made it easy for the paper's critics.
 • Mic Wright
In praise of Jeremy Bowen
His Today programme monologue on Trump, war in Iran, and the history of the Middle East was exactly how the BBC should be reporting on the world.
 • Mic Wright
The dark history of the Telegraph's new owner...
Analysis in the British press focuses on Axel Springer's attitude to Brexit but a closer look suggests its worldview is just Right for the Telegraph's…
 • Mic Wright
Trump's British bullies with a byline
The so-called patriotic newspapers are gleefully doing the US president's bidding.
 • Mic Wright
US war on Iran: A tale of two Trump interviews
As he continues to attack Iran, Donald Trump is babbling in public, working out what he thinks as he goes along. And there are journalists willing to…
 • Mic Wright

February 2026

'The Green Menace': The Daily Mail's newest scary stories for Middle England
Ahead of the Gorton and Denton by-election, the paper's working hard to cast the Green Party as mad, bad, and dangerous to know.
 • Mic Wright
Brendan O'Neill, Giles Coren, and their contrarian defences of 'Prince' Andrew and the dilapidated House of York
In the land of the columnists, two of the usual suspects find creative ways to declare themselves above the outrage.
 • Mic Wright
AI;DR: Journalism's quislings for AI and why I'll never use AI to write this newsletter
The future of journalism doesn't have to be AI-generated; we can and should resist.
 • Mic Wright
Before Labour Together tried to smear Sunday Times journalists, it was a vital source for them
The real problem is that the Starmtroopers turned their dirty tricks on Murdoch's men.
 • Mic Wright
Wes Streeting's Mariah Carey method
Just how stupid does the cabinet minister think we are as he denies the extent of his relationship with Peter Mandelson? Very.
 • Mic Wright
Shock! as 'Prince of Darkness' revealed to be a dodgy, duplicitous wrong 'un
Journalists who used Peter Mandelson as a resource for years are now pretending to be surprised about his character.
 • Mic Wright

January 2026

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