MediaGuardian columnist Peter Wilby confessed yesterday to missing a scoop from a Cabinet minister over lunch after they overdid the post meal brandies.
Wilby wrote: "I remembered my scoop only when I saw it on the front of another paper - leaked, I suspect, from the same source - a few weeks later".
His confession reminded me of when I was at City University and we were given a talk by a hardened Fleet Street crime hack.
He told us about the many heavy drinking sessions he would have with the police. His tip for us wannabe journalists was that whenever he went to the Gents throughout the evening he would quickly scribble down anything he had been told by the police in his notebook. That way, even though he could remember little of the night before, his notebook was full of stories.
It also reminded me of a tale, possibly apocryphal, about a journalist working for Broadcast magazine. She was at the high powered media launch for Sky TV and manged to get into an inner sanctum and have a brief conversation with Rupert Murdoch.
Trouble was it was an alcohol fuelled occasion and the next day she couldn't remember any of the great man's words.
Hypnotism was allegedly tried, but to no avail.
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