I "Watergated" John Singleton

Hi,

Larrikin Millionaire Adman John Singleton uses 'fruity' language in his everyday life and doesn't stop when being interviewed by journalists. He especially used the famous f---- word when I interviewed him for a cover story when I edited Marketing Magazine. Other journalists would edit out the word, but - as I wanted to give the reader the full "Singleton" experience - I left them in. When he opened the magazine for the first time at the luncheon where he spoke to launch the issue, he exclaimed: "You bastard, you Watergated me!" He invented the verb which, for young readers, refers to President Richard Nixon's habit of secretly recording every discussion that took place in the Oval Office at the White House. These tapes were played in the judicial enquiry into the break in to the Democratic campaign headquarters and the theft of documents that eventually saw the President leave office in disgrace. The tapes revealed that the President was a cussin' SOB.

The lesson? Assume the tape is rolling whenever you speak to a journalist. Assume every word you say could appear on the front page of the Australian Financial Review. Don't rely on any special understanding with a journalist. I've been Watergated myself. Treat a journalist as you would a snake. Cautiously.

Cheers!

Michael Kiely