The Sun is going through a purple patch. Its agenda-setting scoop - obtaining the video tape of the US pilots attacking a British army convoy - follows the launch of two excellent, if very different, campaigns, a bold one against racism and a populist one against the price of football match tickets.
The video scoop dominated the TV and radio news all day yesterday, culminating in a lengthy sequence on last night's Newsnight which carried The Sun's logo prominently. The paper was mentioned on every news bulletin and the story has gained massive space in every paper this morning, generating considerable criticism of the United States in the process.
I understand that the paper's defence editor, Tom Newton Dunn, was wholly responsible for getting hold of the footage. It was some leak and I foresee awards galore for the reporter in the coming year. His editor, Rebekah Wade, certainly gave it the full treatment with five full pages yesterday - including the full transcript of the conversation between the pilots and their controllers - and there are five more pages in today's follow-up. It has also put up the video on its website.
This journalistic exclusive has had a positive outcome, forcing the US authorities to reverse their previous refusal to provide the footage to the inquest on the victim of the "friendly fire" incident, Lance Corporal Matty Hull, though The Sun has obviated that by handing over its tape to the coroner. It has exposed both the American and British governments to harsh criticism for their attempts to maintain secrecy, including from normal American cheerleaders, such as the Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mail's columnist Stephen Glover.
Not least, the paper has provided comfort for Corporal Hull's widow, Susan. In order to publish the paper had to face down legal action from both governments. "We were on our way to court on Monday", a Sun executive told me, "until they withdrew their threats."
So I have nothing but praise for The Sun, its editor and its reporter. This was journalism with a purpose, most definitely in the public interest. There is another factor too, as I note in my Evening Standard column today. It could be argued that, to an extent, the story's underlying message conflicts with the pro-war and pro-US views of its owner, Rupert Murdoch. Despite that, I'd guess that he is very pleased indeed with Ms Wade and her team because he loves nothing better than his papers making things hot for politicians.
