The story of the week, and probably of this entire year, was the FT’s brilliant expose on the Presidents Club.
The paper got some stick for indulging in clickbait journalism — Paul Murphy rightly defending the FT of that charge.
The news and features departments of rival papers go nuts when stories like these break.
They confirm the prejudice that the City is a hotbed of boozing and sex which I wish were true. Those things do exist, of course, as does sexism, but the temptation to over-egg it is hard for sections other than the business pages to resist.
This sort of stuff is a noted departure for the FT, which for all its many strengths isn’t known for its undercover work.
We should hope it’s the start of a trend, not a one-off. Journalism is getting squeezed by the internet, but there has finally been some sort of recognition that the only way to win is to invest in the product, not just cut costs.
However awkward this story was for flaks on the receiving end of calls from the hounds on the newsdesk, they should welcome it too.
It’s a clear reminder to City folk and business people of why they need PRs instead of just lawyers in the first place.
