Leo Docherty: "Rather than highlighting the appalling truths about the war in Helmand, the media, dazzled by the heroic ideal that Prince Harry so perfectly embodies, perpetuate the myth that this is a just war fit for heroes. The frenzy of coverage in Fr

Peter Preston: "There’s no point in criticising anyone involved in this deluded little charade, because everyone acted from perfectly comprehensible motives. …"

Bob Steele: "That term “informal embargo” has a stench about it. It reeks of a backroom deal where an important ethical principle - independence - ends up in the spittoon."

Bob Satchwell: "In fact media blackouts are not that unusual. We do not report kidnaps, at the request of the police, if a hostage’s life might be a risk. We often know about the movements of politicians or royalty so that coverage can be planned but do n

Jon Snow: "One wonders whether viewers, readers and listeners will ever want to trust media bosses again. Or perhaps this was a courageous editorial decision to protect this fine young man?"

PR guru Max Clifford’s come out unexpectedly fiercely in criticising what he regards as an ill-thought out publicity stunt. "It just comes across, the whole thing, as a very, very calculated public relations exercise," he claims

At the foot of The Sun’s report: "Set your desktop with Prince Harry wallpaper"

Jon Williams: "We don’t do this stuff lightly - there are no other "voluntary agreements" in place at the moment, there’s nothing else we’re not telling you.""

Tim Marshall: "There will be people wishing to use this incident to prove that the British media is supine in the face of Government pressure. That is a nonsense. The next time the Government screws up we will again give them a kicking."

Simon Bucks: "Where Drudge got the [Harry in Afghanistan] story from is a mystery - some suspect an element of the British media which wanted to break the story for its own ends."

"Some eyebrows have been raised about the quid pro quo involved: in return for keeping quiet every media outlet was supposed to get a slice of the story. That’s hardly a surprise and, again, not controversial. Just good sense really."

Charlie Beckett: "I am genuinely surprised at the lack of unease exhibited by the British media about this deal. … I just think it reeks of the mainstream media complicity and arrogance that was supposed to be a thing of the past."

"Journalists in America routinely keep quiet about the travel plans of government officials to Iraq and other hostile regions. …"

"the British press were given special access to the prince in return for the silence. But they probably would have remained silent anyway. … An extraordinary display of acting like pussies …"