Jon Snow interviews Alastair Campbell over Iraq WMD report being sexed up (2003) 

Remember when the media used to robustly hold the government to account? And when government officials would take interviews and robustly defend their position? Nostalgic watching this in 2021 when both media and government are far more disingenuous

Watched these journalists go toe to toe live. It was electrifying. Jon Snow was superbly vociferous in his questioning and Alistair Campbell was fiercely defensive. It was completely unprecedented for an unelected official to appear on air like this. I recall the coverage in the press at the time and AC apparently just marched up to Channel 4 uninvited to make his case.

Whatever side you're on, it's a shame we don't see this kind of debate now. Instead, we get answers to every question something like "I think what the public want to know is..." And reframe the question to some nonsense like "getting Brexit done"

I think The Thick of it was built of this entire interview

You know Alistair Campbell is on another level when at 3:35 he has the capacity of thought to Chuck a side dig at Blackburn Rovers as a lifelong Burnley fan. Whilst fighting the most serious of fires in his job role at the time.

DR DAVID KELLY R.I.P

Jon Snow was always at his best when shooting from the hip, and this interview is him at his finest. Campbell showing up unannounced thinking he could catch him off-guard.....Snow was having none of it. 🤣🤣🤣

Two Titans going at it. It's so tame these days. Just client journalists.

I have to give it to Alastair, he is so sharp in this interview, he knows and understand every detail. If only government ministers/officals were this sharp and talented today

What a journalist! A consummate professional, he got the importance of even-handed journalism in a world of fog and spin. He always stood up to the plate (remember an apoplectic Alistair Campbell bursting into studio demanding an interview over claims of a 'sexed-up' Iraq dossier?) He was serious, but shorn of pomposity - always fun and self-effacing. Forget the war zones he used to report from, and the 'evil spin doctors in the dark', he routinely made some of the bravest sartorial choices one could imagine. His socks (and ties) were estimably loud. Long live Jon Snow! THE journalist's journalist. Truly the end of an era. I pray his replacement his as much integrity. without people like Snow you just have a cabal of vultures who are unnervingly pally with the PM, and act as the propaganda wing of Downing St. Snow was unique, had personality to spare and was steadfastly independent of the established order

I remember watching this, it was astonishing.

Have they found the WMD yet?

Alastair Campbell is holding an unsharpened pencil, it has no point

David Kelly RIP

God Bless you Jon Snow and your investigative journalism. You are so missed, we need you back ASAP.

He’s clever that one, and it is interesting to hear how ‘holier than thou’ he comes across on his podcasts today… you forget don’t you?

Alastair Campbell's response: "You know nothing Jon Snow"

Venomous snake still at large in our country. We'll done John Snow!

Interesting to see Jon Snow clearly a bit nervous Not a criticism, just shows how important it was

Well done Jon Snow.

Oh, deary, deary me... how at odds Campbell's assertions are with the findings of the Chilcot Report.

Jon Snow totally brilliant here

Jon Snow is a legend. He just leads them into the web and snares them. “And you’ve got proof of that have you?” Jon “Funnily enough I’ve got it right here it was available years ago” #priceless

From the man who did more to destroy trust in politics than any other

Campbell goes on about "conflation" of dossiers - as though there were errors in one and not the other. There were errors in both. This is the key part of his spin. It's simply not true that there were "no errors of fact in the WMD dossier in September 2002", as he claims.

Never knew that the Night Watch has other responsibility like interviewing someone.......

let me say this about that. I'm not going to say anything about that. I will however say this.

This man should be in prison with his mate Blair

When politicians and journalists were actually smart. Listen to these guys talk, 2 massive brains.

I'm sure all of what Campbell says is spin and half truth... but his communication here is immense. The eye contact and body language, the ability he has to use the most salient/cutting word in his opponent's argument and dismantle it, "robust", etc. A formidable display from an undoubtedly talented political operator.

Malcolm, you are now part of the story 😂

Alastair Campbell will eventually wake up to his role in the immense suffering caused by his complicity in the lies regarding weapons of mass destruction. He’s a haunted man.

I commend Mr. Snow for practicing professional journalism.

This Campbell needs bringing to justice not interviewed.

I wish we have journalists like Jon Snow in America. Love this guy and you better be prepared when he is on you.

And yet both Campbell and Blair still get airtime. ..

Tbe guilt drove him mad

They lied, plain and simple, no mistakes just complete and utter deceit.

Blair lied. Campbell lied. A million dead in Iraq....

When the BBC did real journalism? Rip journalism.

I think Campbell has convinced himself of his and Blair’s innocence. Something clearly not right with him.

Iraq was a horrific blunder If they wanted to remove saddam they didnt need to obliterate the people They just opened pandoras box nuff said

So all this has now since been admitted by the Labour party - why is this guy still walking about, in full view, giving his opinions on the media of today?

Ahh memories....when C4's Jon Snow was actually a real journalist soley intent on doing his job.

also remember Alistair Campbell was unelected

Yo, when I think the UK was much better in the 2000s I normally think it’s just nostalgia. But this is genuinely peak politics and journalism

War criminal

Back when the media actually held the government to account, these days they just let them run wild

Get Campbell to show you his “legally sane” badge

Alistair Campbell- the only one in the uk with a certificate to prove he is sane...w⚓️

Alistair Campbell what a CLOWN

Slimy arrogant man, he and Blair have a lot to answer for. RIP Dr David Kelly, and all the lads and lasses and innocents that got killed or maimed in the Iraqi war, well done Jon Snow

Its 2022 and the actions of the Labour party and this man and his wars are still very much being felt today, mass terrorsim in Europe, mass refugees puring into Europe, huge debts, still people being killed in wars that were started in neighbouring countries. I will never forget what Labour did.

And yet ITV give him a job to present the news, 🤣🤣🤣🤣

CLASSIC!!!! Jon Snow was the best!!!

come on guys, we are just talking about hundreds of thousands of assassinations, a dodgy PM, Oil business and the success of a tyrant Kosher state... Lets talk about gardening and tea instead.

Campbell is a snake, a deadly snake, a blake mamba.

Alastair Campbell and this generation of politician were far more intelligent than the entire Conservative Party today

was this before Dr David Kelly went for a walk........?

Blair and Campbell are murderers

Never ever rated Alastair Campbell, & the fruit didn't fall far from the tree with his awful daughter & her desperation for attention at all costs...

People seem to forget this man had no elected office and there if there was a modern equivalent of him, he'd be the most hated man on Earth!

You can always tell when Campbell is lying....his lips are moving

Slithering little snake uses one inconsistency to try and dismantle the case against him.

However deep and dark the depths of depression Campbell personally sinks to they will never be deep enough or dark enough to justify his pivotal role in the Iraq war.

Out! Out! Out! Damn Spot! But the blood lay thick on the floor and up the walls and flowed out until it covered the very country itself . . .

Well done Andrew Gilligan, the BBC and obviously Dr David Kelly, Rest in Peace.

Now we know there were no WMD...so what is Alistair trying to defend..???

It would be really interesting if Iraq demanded the extradition of Blair, Campbell, et al to answer for their actions!

Horrible and a bully

And he is a wrong one cos he defended Blair

Campbell has no concept of truth!

When your explanation needs 19 million words you have lied and made a mistake... To Blairs Pitbull is a horrid job. Why hasn't Blair popped on TV and explained his story and illegal war?

Alastair Campbell - Israel’s man on the inside.

I miss grown up conversations

THRUST ME MY NAME IS ALASTAIR CAMPBELL SIDE KICK TO THE MAN OF WAR BLAIR😶‍🌫😶‍🌫😇😇😇

Wow, I wonder if Campbell looks back at this interview and realises how badly he handled it

45 minutes = information warfare. the politics of journalistic smut and spin dr. porn.

1:25 ".. you can say anything you want on the television, doesn't matter if it's true, doesn't matter if you check it, doesn't matter if it's corroborated.." If you substitute "in a dodgy dossier" for "on the television", Alastair Campbell could be talking about himself.

Campbell complains he can’t finish his point but cuts Jon Snow off throughout the interview.

This is a Narrasist %100

He wrote the dossier

Clash of the Titans.

A client of mine flew in the raf over Iraq after the war... he said he saw no evidence of wmd.. just a few military outdated buildings of which the plans were available readily...

'They are serious allegations...' and time has proved them to be true.

S*** got real with this interview, thank you Jon Snow legend 👏

Obsfucation and diversion, Campbell talks about conflating two documents but does not name them, this man is toxic.

Mr Campbell is a very angry man isn't he? Finger pointing then and still doing it today.

The real Jon Snow

This man and his mate Blair are the biggest gangsters to ever run Britain.

Blackburn Rovers watching this: 👁👄👁

War Criminal

Double blinking

Blair's attack dog. Attack dogs bite anyone they are pointed at and told 'seize him'

AC keeps his cool and shifts attention to relevant topics despite JS continually conflating different things. Can sympathise with a man defending a government against a hostile and unbalanced media

This low life snake in the grass

I believe thatAB, AC & PM ( inter alia) should be on trial for war crimes - and were there any international justice worth the name they would be imho.

never trust a Campbell

Supend Campbell by his twisted airpipe .

Your a bright one telling him he can say anything he wants to even if it's lies you are well used to telling lies and and anything you want to War criminal