Blair attacks "feral" media he once tamed

By Katherine Baldwin

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's media is like a "feral beast" that tears people and reputations to shreds, Prime Minister Tony Blair said on Tuesday in his parting shot at journalists after a decade in power.

Once known for his slick and sometimes obsessive media management, Blair accused the media of sensationalising facts, breeding cynicism and attacking public figures.

Blair, who steps down on June 27, said he was not blaming the media for the "damaged" relationship with politicians but pointing the finger at the changing nature of modern news.

"The fear of missing out means that today's media, more than ever before, hunts in a pack. In these modes it is like a feral beast, just tearing people and reputations to bits," he said in a speech at Reuters headquarters in London.

Journalists are "increasingly and to a dangerous degree ... driven by 'impact', and this is driving down standards and doing a disservice to the public, he said.

"The damage saps the country's confidence and self-belief ... it reduces our capacity to take the right decisions," argued Blair.

Britons became increasingly cynical about Blair's reliance on public relations "spin" to nurture favourable headlines and his relationship with the media and voters deteriorated during the divisive Iraq war and its aftermath.

Opposition politicians blamed Blair's media handling for the sour relationship between politicians and the press.