CLARIFICATION: Alistair Campbell Steve Coogan interview - Angelina Jolie

[ALSO REFERRED TO:  TOKYO ROSE BLOG POST - HERE.]

CLARIFICATION

Alastair Campbell on Steve Coogan - a clarification

by Alastair Campbell 11 July 14


Given some of the press and social media comment about my interview with Steve Coogan, and in particular the suggestion that he attacked Angelina Jolie's campaigning on rape, I would like to clarify.

Whilst the printed transcript is accurate in literal terms it does not reflect the fact that I was interjecting some words as an extra question into an answer he was in the middle of giving. It was I not he who raised Angelina Jolie and William Hague. He was not responding to that second question but continuing his previous answer. So his remarks were not directed towards Angelina Jolie.

I should also make clear that:

His comments about celebrities being off putting when campaigning on policy issues were a light-hearted dig at himself, while making the point that what is irritating is "people who are in the public eye for something else who suddenly start voicing opinions about everything else" rather than get stuck in properly to a particular issue.

His comments about celebrities not standing up for unpopular causes were directed at those who refused to comment on press abuses and excesses out of fear of unflattering future coverage.

And that he certainly did not put Angelina Jolie in that bracket, because he admires her work. 

I like the Q&A format but this is an example of how sometimes the words on the paper fail to capture tone and context. I am happy to do that and hope it might help stop the unfair comments being directed his way.

The exchange in full:

Alistair Campbell: How does your mind work? Where is the creativity coming from?
Steve Coogan: I am quite driven by work. Sometimes I am passionate about things I believe in. Though I have been involved politically, I find people who are in the public eye for something else who suddenly start voicing their opinions about everything else quite irritating.

What? Like Angelina Jolie going out campaigning with William Hague?
I do find it a bit off-putting. If you are trying to do something charitable there is always a double-edged sword, because it is good PR for the celebrity. Better to do it than not to do it, but I have much more respect for a celebrity that goes out [campaigning] about something really difficult.

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COMMENT

The Tokyo Rose blog post linked to above, refers to an article that was run by the Independent (links contained in original blog post etc.) and is based on the Independent's article regarding Coogan.

The original Independent headline was:

Steve Coogan brands Angelina Jolie’s humanitarian efforts 'off putting': 'I have more respect for a star that does something difficult

The independent headline associated with the link to the Independent has since been amended to take into account the following:

"Alastair Campbell insists his interview fails to capture tone and context" 

 Phew!  I hope I've got that straight & I hope you're following. 

If I have it straight, Alistair Campbell's Steeve Coogan interview was misunderstood by the media outlets that picked up the story.

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ADDENDUM - see the GQ CLARIFICATION - here.