Meet Matthew. He does a very important job as a press officer for the Home Office, which means he has a very nice phone manner. Whenever a journalist wants to find out something about government, get a quote from a minister or, as happens occasionally, interview one of them, they phone someone just like Matthew and he… well, in my case, he says no. A lot.
I began work on the race crime piece we published today about six weeks ago. At that point I called the Home Office press department and asked if I could spend time with one of their statisticians. I wasn't looking for an interview as such; more a tutorial in methodology (which given the problems with their statistics was a reasonable thing to request).Eventually I put the request to Matthew. Later I also put in a request to interview someone from her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary. Matthew insisted that he was trying to make both happen but, after about three weeks, neither had. I can not for a moment imagine why. In the US, where there is a genuine culture of open government, public servants ask themselves why they shouldn't speak to journalists. Here, clearly, they ask why they should. It's exceptionally frustrating. But not as frustrating as trying to get an interview with someone in power...
About three weeks ago I put in another request: to interview a minister. We were about to run one of the more serious pieces on race crime in a British newspaper this year and we felt it needed access to the thinking at the heart of a government which has made a lot of noise about its commitment to tackling racism. Matthew said he would see what he would do. He said this for two weeks. He said it very nicely.
As the deadline approached he said that I should be able to speak to Baroness Scotland, who has responsibility for criminal justice. (A small point. As most of what I was looking at involved police process I had actually asked to interview Hazel Blears, minister responsible for the police. A couple of my more cynical colleagues suggested that they had offered up Scotland instead because it was thought I might find it harder to challenge a black minister on questions of race. Personally I think that very unlikely but certainly, it wouldn't have made a difference to the line of questioning.)
24 hours before the deadline – by which time I was already due have to been writing - Matthew said I could definitely speak to Baroness Scotland. He even gave me a time. He asked for an outline of what I wanted to discuss which I gave him. (I emphasised again that I still thought Blears the most appropriate minister and said why.)
Later that day, he called and moved the interview an hour earlier.
About 12 hours before the interview was due to take place he called again and cancelled it. Diary too full. Just one of those things.
I am not stupid. I know how busy government ministers are. But it's not like we left it to the last minute. I gave Matthew WEEKS of notice and still no dice. On anything. I'm sure it's not nice Matthew's fault but I do wonder what it's like being unhelpful for a living. Consider this another one of those lessons in 'How journalism works'. Or doesn't as the case may be.
