Quotes of the Week: From Burchill to Morgan

Julie Burchill in the Independent: "A fifth of us fondly recall happy events WHICH NEVER ACTUALLY HAPPENED, a new survey from Hull University claims. I think so, too. For years I've suffered the delusion that I was once slender, pretty, clever and funny, the toast of the Groucho Club, a veritable Dorothy Parker filtered through the motor-mouthed medium of the finest Peruvian marching powder. And now it transpires that I was only ever a fat bird in a blue raincoat, mumbling in an unintelligible West Country accent to whatever poor sap I could corner! Still, mustn't grumble. All the more impressive, the way I see it, that I've made millions doing the thing I love best for near on 35 years and never worked a day in my life."

Marina Hyde in the Guardian on Naomi Campbell giving evidence at the Charles Taylor trial at The Hague: "Congratulations, murdered and mutilated Sierra Leoneans! You finally have a celebrity angle, meaning your obscure little story has been given its brief moment in the limelight, before being reassigned the sort of news value that couldn't hope to trump a Cesc Fabregas transfer rumour."

Steve Dyson on his blog calls for the regional press to ban all sex ads: "Why, oh why, is the most family-orientated media in Britain sullying itself by accepting classified adverts for massage parlours that it at least suspects are in certain cases informal brothels?"

Rupert Murdoch quoted in the Australian about The Times' paywall: "It's going to be a success. Subscriber levels are strong. We are witnessing the start of a new business model for the internet. The argument that information wants to be free is only said by those who want it for free.''

Financial Times leader on the new bill by the House of Representatives declaring English libel judgments to be unenforceable in the US courts: "A new humiliation for libel to have a statute passed specifically to hammer home its incompatibility with free speech."

Marc Thiessen in the Washington Post calls for action to be taken against Julian Assange and WikiLeaks: "Arresting Assange would be a major blow to his organization. But taking him off the streets is not enough; we must also recover the documents he unlawfully possesses and disable the system he has built to illegally disseminate classified information. This should be done, ideally, through international law enforcement cooperation. But if such cooperation is not forthcoming, the United States can and should act alone."

David Leigh in the Guardian on the Afhan War Logs: "Some media organisations, who had not got the story themselves, then joined in. One disappointed paper deliberately provided the Taliban with a to-do list: it drew their attention to specific Wikileaks documents they might inspect in order to take reprisals. The low point was perhaps reached by Channel 4 News, which respectfully quoted a 'spokesman' for the bearded murderers, as he uttered promises of revenge on alleged informants. It felt like PR for the Taliban."

Clare Balding in letter to the Sunday Times over an AA Gill review in which she was described as a 'dyke on a bike': "I would be very surprised if you used a comparable word that related to race or religion. Allowing this sort of anti-gay language contributes to rising levels of homophobic bullying. By printing it, you suggest that the sneering use of the term “dyke” is acceptable. It is not."

Piers Morgan on the NCTJ website: “I had a great time doing my NCTJ course at Harlow. It was informative, educational, challenging and entertaining. It gave me the perfect skill-base for a career in journalism – from basic, yet essential, stuff like a high shorthand speed, to knowledge of media law, which given the number of times I've been sued, came in particularly handy. Most importantly, it taught me the importance of accuracy, critical thinking, editing overly verbose copy to fit a certain space, and telling a story in an exciting and compelling way. The NCTJ course prepares students for a life in newspapers that no other course can do.”