More thrills than skills – A half-life in journalism, part 46

Over the next few weeks, allmediascotland.com is to publish, each weekday, edited extracts from the memoirs of Scottish war correspondent, Paul Harris. ‘More thrills than skills: A half-life in journalism’, is being scheduled for publication next year.

THE Major was looking particularly crestfallen one day, a typical sort of day at The Schoolhouse.

An Italian journalist, Luigi, who has just left, hadn’t exactly been given the ‘red carpet treatment’.

As he bade farewell to the hard-pressed p/info supremo, he blithely announced: “I would like to be able to thank you for all your co-operation. But I cannot find it in my heart to do so. I think you should know I am a brigadier in the Italian army and special advisor to Minister of Defence.”

Collapse of stout party.

Luigi became a good friend of mine and my photograph of him would appear on the back cover of his book, Paura di Vincere, the following year.

He would then be appointed Defence Minister of Italy by PM, Silvio Berlusconi.