Scrum Wars: The Prime Ministers and the Media

by Allan Levine

The image of the scrum — a beleaguered politican surrounded by jockeying reporters — is central to our perception of Ottawa. The modern scrum began with the arrival of television, but even in Sir John A. Macdonald's day, a century earlier, reporters in the parliamentary press gallery had waited outside the prime minister's office, pen in hand, hoping for a quote for the next edition.

The scrum represents the test of wills, the contest of wits, and the battle for control that have characterized the relationship between Canadian prime ministers and journalists for more than 125 years. Scrum Wars chronicles this relationship. It is an anecdotal as well as analytical account, showing how earlier prime ministers like Sir John A. Macdonald and Sir Wilfrid Laurier were able to exercise control over what was written about their administrators, while more recent leaders like John Diefenbaker, Joe Clark, John Turner, and Brian Mulroney often found themselves at the mercy of intense media scrutiny and comment.

Genres: Politics, Canada

392 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Allan Levine was born in Winnipeg in 1956 and received a Ph.D. in history from the University of Toronto in 1985. He is the author of 10 non-fiction books that have examined a wide-range of political, social and economic issues. He has delved into Canadian, European, American and Jewish history. He has also published five historical mystery novels, including Evil of the Age and four books featuring Sam Klein. He has been freelancing articles and reviews for more than 30 years. He frequently contributes to the National Post and for the past six years has been writing a column for the Winnipeg Free Press, Now & Then, which looks at the history behind current events. In all of his work, he aims to bring the past alive and reflect on history's lessons.