Very best of luck to Iain Dey, who we learnt last week is moving from The Sunday Times to Edelman.
I don’t know Iain, but he is obviously an excellent hack who I’m sure will be an equally good flak.
In hack-land, the loss of such a high profile journalist provokes two opposite reactions: 1) It’s only a matter of time before I do the same. 2) Why on earth would you give up the best job in the world for one of the worst?
I’m closer to camp two than one, but I understand what the motives for such a shift might be.
Here’s a reaction to Dey’s news from one hack-turned-flak turned hack again: “Far better to downsize your financial ambitions than make yourself miserable for 20-odd years. You will just be asked to lie in a way that allows you to deny lying – but one that you know in your heart of hearts you are still doing (so you end up lying twice). And you will have zero fun (but claim you are).”
Hmm. He didn’t much like it then. I think that some hacks do turn out to be very good flaks. And that some find they can’t stand it. I also think it’s very difficult to tell which will be which.