Quotes of the week: Why journalists are disliked

Roy Greenslade in the London Evening Standard on coverage of the arrest of Chris Jeffferies: "It is possible to justify the WikiLeaks disclosures with a public-interest defence, but what public interest is there in the might of the press bearing down on an individual who, though under arrest, has not been charged?...the former journalist Tom Stoppard has a memorable line in one of his plays, Rock 'n' Roll, about the 'casual cruelty' of newspapers. It is not that editors and journalists set out to be nasty, but it works out like that. It is surely the reason we journalists are so disliked."

Stephen Glover in The Independent, also on Jefferies' arrest: "I obviously have no better idea than anyone else as to the outcome of this case. Nevertheless, I have been stuck by the overexcited coverage, particularly, though by no means only, in the tabloids. The Sun probably went furthest with its headline last Friday: 'Weird, Posh, Lewd, Creepy'."

Greg Reardon, the boyfriend of Jo Yeates on coverage of her murder: "Jo's life was cut short tragically but the finger-pointing and character assassination by social and news media of as yet innocent men has been shameful. It has made me lose a lot of faith in the morality of the British press and those that spend their time fixed to the internet in this modern age."

Sarah Ellison in Vanity Fair: "The partnership between The Guardian and WikiLeaks brought together two desperately ambitious organizations that happen to be diametric opposites in their approach to reporting the news. One of the oldest newspapers in the world, with strict and established journalistic standards, joined up with one of the newest in a breed of online muckrakers, with no standards at all except fealty to an ideal of 'transparency'—that is, dumping raw material into the public square for people to pick over as they will."

NUJ deputy general secretary Michelle Stanistreet on strike action being taken at Newsquest-owned regional papers: “Gannet can’t expect to continue to gorge itself at the expense of hardworking and underpaid professional journalists. Newsquest shareholders must soon realise that their directors are leading the group into a cul de sac of confrontation which will cost them dearly.”

Anonymous journalism academic writing in Press Gazette about why journalism degrees should die: "These huge, bums-on-seats courses may keep deans happy as they pack in the fee-paying students, but when these hundreds of newly qualified journalism graduates hit the job market, where do they find a job? Not in journalism that's for sure."

Jan Moir in the Daily Mail on Lord Sugar: "Sugar yearns to be admired, but his soul is too corroded and his ego too bloated to ever allow it. From start to finish, his bitterness is remorseless."

Lord Sugar responds on Twitter: "amazing how the Daily Liar seems to employ these jealous losers who have never achieved anything themselves in life,must stem from the top."