The Press: Randolph v. The People

As a small chip off a great old oaken block, Sir Winston Churchill's only son Randolph is one of Fleet Street's masters of the art of abuse, especially when he chooses the British press as a target

(TIME, Dec. 26). But though he can dish it out, Randolph Churchill, 45, last week showed he did not have to take it; he went to court to demand damages for libel from The People, mass-circulation (5,075,351) Sunday paper.

In an editorial during last year's rough-and-tumble election campaign, The People denounced Randolph's "wild blatherings" and called him "ignorant," an "egregious failure," "that slightly comic son of our great statesman," and one of the "paid hacks" writing "biased accounts of the campaign."

Randolph, his lawyer told the court last week, objected to "paid hack." Those words were accusing him of being "a journalistic prostitute and of writing for money what he was told—a common literary drudge." Actually, argued the lawyer, Randolph's value to editors was "the fact of his complete independence." He called witnesses from Fleet Street who testified that Randolph was indeed clamorously independent.

The most impressive witness to his independence was burly Randolph himself. Under cross-examination by Defense Barrister Gilbert Paull, he admitted readily that he had launched a campaign against the press, including The People, with a speech in 1953. "Was it not offensive?" asked the lawyer. Snapped Randolph: "Yes, it was meant to be."

Was it true that Churchill had described Lord Rothermere, publisher of the Daily Mail, as "romping around in the gutter?" Replied Randolph: "That is rather good stuff. Lord Rothermere is very much ashamed about it, but he goes on doing it. He will not thank you for giving further publicity to it in this court."

Q: You spend your life saying the most outrageous things about everybody?

A: About everybody I think is acting against the public interest.

Q: You called Sir William Haley [editor of the London Times') an automatic suppressor of news?

A: That was meant as a joke. He invited me out to lunch after I said that.

Q: You called my clients "lowest mongrel curs"?

A: That derives from a Fleet Street metaphor that dog does not eat dog. I continued the metaphor from the canine world.

Q: Did you call Mr. Attlee a "tardy little marionette"?

A: Yes. It is a rather good phrase.

The barrister for The People then flung his sharpest harpoon. Had Randolph even used the very expression "old hack" to describe Charles Eade, editor of the Sunday Dispatch (circ. 2,549,228)? Randolph freely admitted it, added: "So would you if you read the Sunday Dispatch. I suppose if Mr. Eade thought 'old hack' was a lie or a libel, he would have written to me."

A jury of ten men and two women retired to ponder Randolph's complaint and The People's defense that its words had been "fair comment on matters of public interest." After 45 minutes, they decided that Randolph had been libeled and fixed his award at a handsome £5,000 ($14,000), plus costs.