Morgan strikes £1m deal to publish his Mirror diaries

by Joe Lepper,, Brand Republic 23-Aug-04, 09:05

LONDON – Former Daily Mirror editor Piers Morgan has reportedly clinched a £1m deal to publish the memoirs of his colourful time at the helm of the tabloid newspaper.

It was reported at the weekend that Morgan, who was sacked from the Mirror in May after publishing fake pictures of British soldiers abusing Iraqi prisoners, has agreed a contract with Ebury Press.

He was replaced as Mirror editor by Richard Wallace, previously the deputy editor of the Sunday Mirror.

It is understood that Morgan kept an extensive diary during his editorship of the paper, which lasted almost nine years. The £1m deal is in addition to a settlement package with Trinity Mirror that was reported to be as high as £1m.

Morgan became embroiled in the City Slickers share-dealing scandal while he was editor of the Mirror. He was eventually cleared following a probe by the Department of Trade and Industry. However, two journalists involved are expected to face prosecution. Morgan also squared up to model Naomi Campbell, who eventually won a privacy law test case after the paper published photographs of her leaving a drug rehabilitation meeting.

Morgan's Mirror career also included the widely criticised decision to run the front page headline "Achtung! Surrender" ahead of England's semi-final clash with Germany during the 1996 European football championships.

In recent years he also presided over a dramatic slump in sales following his decision to cover more serious political issues in the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks.

Mirror sales were dented further by the paper's decision to adopt an anti-war stance during the conflict in Iraq, which culminated in the fake Iraqi photographs scandal. Audit Bureau of Circulations figures for May showed a fall of 2.19% compared with the Mirror's circulation for April.

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