Jon Snow interviews Alastair Campbell over Iraq WMD report being sexed up (2003)

27 June 2003: Alastair Campbell's remarkable interview with Channel 4 News over the government's row with the BBC about its Iraq coverage.

The Downing Street Director of Communications was questioned live by Jon Snow, in an interview which has only increased the tension between the government and the BBC.

Mr Campbell had accused the BBC of lying, after a 'Today' report claimed he had 'sexed up' a government dossier about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction.

[joea.s]

Remember when the media used to robustly hold the government to account? And when government officials would take interviews and robustly defend their position? Nostalgic watching this in 2021 when both media and government are far more disingenuous

[DM-pvib]

Whatever side you're on, it's a shame we don't see this kind of debate now. Instead, we get answers to every question something like "I think what the public want to know is..." And reframe the question to some nonsense like "getting Brexit done"

[DanMorelle]

Watched these journalists go toe to toe live. It was electrifying. Jon Snow was superbly vociferous in his questioning and Alistair Campbell was fiercely defensive. It was completely unprecedented for an unelected official to appear on air like this. I recall the coverage in the press at the time and AC apparently just marched up to Channel 4 uninvited to make his case.

[esporter]

I think The Thick of it was built of this entire interview

[michaelconroy]

You know Alistair Campbell is on another level when at 3:35 he has the capacity of thought to Chuck a side dig at Blackburn Rovers as a lifelong Burnley fan. Whilst fighting the most serious of fires in his job role at the time.

[writtenenglish]

Two Titans going at it. It's so tame these days. Just client journalists.

[clydebear]

Jon Snow was always at his best when shooting from the hip, and this interview is him at his finest. Campbell showing up unannounced thinking he could catch him was having none of it. 🤣🤣🤣

[estebancomulet]

What a journalist! A consummate professional, he got the importance of even-handed journalism in a world of fog and spin. He always stood up to the plate (remember an apoplectic Alistair Campbell bursting into studio demanding an interview over claims of a 'sexed-up' Iraq dossier?) He was serious, but shorn of pomposity - always fun and self-effacing. Forget the war zones he used to report from, and the 'evil spin doctors in the dark', he routinely made some of the bravest sartorial choices one could imagine. His socks (and ties) were estimably loud. Long live Jon Snow! THE journalist's journalist. Truly the end of an era. I pray his replacement his as much integrity. without people like Snow you just have a cabal of vultures who are unnervingly pally with the PM, and act as the propaganda wing of Downing St. Snow was unique, had personality to spare and was steadfastly independent of the established order

[iielysiumx]

I have to give it to Alastair, he is so sharp in this interview, he knows and understand every detail. If only government ministers/officals were this sharp and talented today

[andrew]

I remember watching this, it was astonishing.

[alexhall]

He’s clever that one, and it is interesting to hear how ‘holier than thou’ he comes across on his podcasts today… you forget don’t you?

[lucknoluck_or_lock]

Alastair Campbell is holding an unsharpened pencil, it has no point

[phillipgriffiths]

They knew Iraq has no WMD. Blood is on their hands.

[rachelh]

God Bless you Jon Snow and your investigative journalism. You are so missed, we need you back ASAP.

[Pfth]

Oh, deary, deary me... how at odds Campbell's assertions are with the findings of the Chilcot Report.

[anncothromoir]

Campbell goes on about "conflation" of dossiers - as though there were errors in one and not the other. There were errors in both. This is the key part of his spin. It's simply not true that there were "no errors of fact in the WMD dossier in September 2002", as he claims.

[horacesinclair]

Interesting to see Jon Snow clearly a bit nervous

Not a criticism, just shows how important it was

[bethanyschool]

This man should be in prison with his mate Blair

[fakename]

Alastair Campbell's response: "You know nothing Jon Snow"

[stephenburns]

From the man who did more to destroy trust in politics than any other