Lie T N

People accuse me of hating that media. And they'd be right.

It never used to be like that. When I was younger, we had great figures in broadcast journalism - Sir Robin Day, Brian Redhead, Brian Walden.

Now we have the likes of Tom Bradby.

I was leading a delegation from China around the House of Commons today. The Speaker had announced his resignation and as can be expected, I was asked for comment from the media.

I'd already politely turned down the BBC and Sky when a young man - he looked a bit inexperienced, I think they call them goafers - interrupted me demanding an interview. I was actually in the middle of explaining to my guests the day's events.

I asked if he was a journalist. He said yes. I told him to ''sod off.''

After returning from a meeting with the delegation, I got back to my office to discover that 'sod off' had somehow been turned into ''Fuck Off you little c***.'' Apparently, Tom Bradby had rang my office to demand an apology, quoting those exact words.

However when my staff said I just wouldn't use that language he admitted that he wouldn't put this goafer up in a witness box to defend it.

But in the meantime someone at ITN had obviously been busy in the lobby because that same false quote was quoted back to my staff from the Sun AND the Evening Standard, who used it in Paul Waugh's blog and in the paper.

Now I have several witnesses who'll back me up on this so I'll be watching ITN very closely tonight to see how Bradby reports this.

And you wonder why I dislike journalists.