Observations on the press

It's Saturday afternoon, just two weeks before the general election in the newsroom of the Sunday Mirror, and you're faced with a front-page dilemma.

You've got a strong exclusive line out of an interview with the Prime Minister, together with a shock poll result seeing the Tories almost on level pegging (OK, we are talking hypothetically). You've also got a romping, juicy read, a new sex scandal involving a married Premiership footballer, with the voluptuous lady in question photographed draped across a sun lounger. What should you do? I'm afraid there's no contest. It's the sex scandal.

While Westminster village explodes in a froth of excitement, the public at large remains relatively unmoved by the election. In fact, a political story on the front page would be nigh on commercial suicide - unless, of course, we're looking at the shenanigans of cabinet ministers and love children, but even David Blunkett's recent turmoils were the kiss of death for sales.

The compromise in the circumstances above would be the PM beaming out of a "box" by the masthead, peering over the picture of "footballer's beauty".

It's not a question of dumbing down, but commercial realism. Such political fatigue is not restricted to newspapers: Labour knows its greatest opponent in this election is apathy. Readers are tired of pledges and don't believe them even when they're true. The female voter, in particular, who is more judgemental (especially over the war), is definitely disillusioned.

So what will we do over the next five weeks? Even though a political front page turns readers off on a Sunday, they are unforgiving if there isn't thorough coverage inside. It has to be lively, imaginative, and have conviction and passion, but we need that to come from the government.

We can guarantee John Prescott will lend some excitement, like his Rhyl punch-up of 2001, but we need to excite through politics, too. That means having real people put our leaders on the spot in good open debate. It means ministers abandoning some of the patronising platitudes and being honest about what hasn't worked.

It's a shame Blunkett is not at the forefront, as he's always good copy, as is John Reid. Hopefully Geoff Hoon will be kept locked in the MoD as a prisoner of his own inept arrogance. Gordon Brown commands respect and should be at the front of campaigning, rather than guarded and played down as fiercely as he is by No 10.

Before Howard Flight pricked the Tories' bubble, Michael Howard may have sent a confidence shudder through the Labour echelons. But women are not fooled by his stomach-churning, happy-family photo opportunities.

Yes, the Sunday Mirror will be backing Labour, but we want passion and excitement in our election coverage, and we have to see that from Downing Street.

Tina Weaver is editor of the Sunday Mirror

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