Media: The Word on the Street

STAFFERS ON the Daily Mail may have noticed a familiar, if considerably younger, face in the paper's spread on Saturday of "the dazzling debs" alongside Jeffrey Archer's former assistant Andrina Colquhoun in the class of 1970. The denim shift dress and lilac blouse may be resolutely 1970, but that smile, a little aloof from her fellow debs: a woman alone? Could it be? Yes it is - Veronica Wadley, who now works just a stone's throw from Kensington palace at the Daily Mail. Indeed, as features supremo she would have been in charge of the spread that so coyly failed to name her place of work, although she did help readers by telling them that she had "enjoyed a distinguished career in journalism".

NEED SOME media training? Or simply want to get on with the neighbours? Who better to go to than Sir Bernard Ingham? Lady Thatcher's former press secretary has set up a media training company with fellow PR John Burley. Also on the books of the Burley Ingham Consultancy are Ingham junior - John Ingham, environment editor of The Express - and former News at Ten newsreader Pamela Armstrong. Sir Bernard is at least known for plain speaking. Will his new agency bring a refreshing dose of that into PR? "We offer a unique approach that will radically change the way in which people look at PR, and dramatically improve the effectiveness of their PR strategies," the gruff one says. But what exactly does that mean? He explains: "Burley Ingham differs from other media trainers, in that it offers a unique bespoke and company doctor service." Ah well. They all succumb to PR-speak in the end.

IS THERE an element of "do what I say, not what I do" in the Women in Journalism report on the lack of "real women" in mainstream jobs in newspaper photographs? Women in Journalism is chaired by Rebekah Wade, deputy editor of The Sun, and one of the committee members is Georgina Henry, deputy editor of The Guardian. Yet it is The Guardian which is criticised in the report for using a three-quarter page picture of Kate Moss to illustrate a City results story - a picture not included in The Guardian's selection of shaming illustrations in its double-page spread on the report yesterday. The Sun yesterday had a semi-naked picture of Rod Stewart's ex-wife on its front page, a semi-naked page 3 girl on page 3, and Posh Spice in mini-dress on page 5. If deputy editors can't influence their own papers on the things they care most passionately about, how do they expect lesser mortals to do so?

ONE OF the most emotional moments at last week's Evening Standard Theatre Awards came when Vanessa Redgrave called on Standard editor Max Hastings to set up an award in the name of Michael Owen, the paper's former arts editor.

Curiously, there was no mention of this in the acres that the Standard devoted to the event. Even more curiously, Carlton, which worked hand in glove with the Standard, did not televise any of Ms Redgrave's speech, even though she was easily the most famous person there. What Ms Redgrave tactfully did not mention was that it was Max Hastings who ended Owen's sojourn with the paper.