News Sandwich

A technique reportedly used to deliver bad news to the British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

For some time, news reports have alluded to the stress Gordon Brown appears to be under – commenting on his heavily bitten fingernails, his curious habit of smiling at inappropriate moments, and his apparent displays of frustration.

Now, Bloomberg (not a news organization given to hyperbole) has reportedthat the economic downturn, and his poor polling numbers, may have increased Brown’s anxiety:

The strain shows, say current and former Brown aides: Among other things, it has inflamed a temper that has always been the subject of gallows humor among those who work with him, they say.

The prime minister, 58, has hurled pens and even a stapler at aides, according to one; he says he once saw the leader of Britain’s 61 million people shove a laser printer off a desk in a rage. Another aide was warned to watch out for “flying Nokias” when he joined Brown’s team.

Disturbingly, Bloomberg states that Brown’s advisers employ their own form of news management to mollify their boss:

One staffer says a colleague developed a technique called a “news sandwich” – first telling the prime minister about a recent piece of good coverage before delivering bad news, and then moving quickly to tell him about something good coming soon.

Brown’s spokesman, Bloomberg noted, “declined to comment.”