Andrew Neil(I)

During the late 1980s, whilst he was Editor of "The Sunday Times", his old school, Paisley Grammar, was threatened with closure by local government. His political acquaintance with Margaret Thatcher (then the British Prime Minister) led to her direct intervention in the matter - a controversial circumstance, given that the political climate in Scotland at that time was largely anti-Conservative. The school remains open to this day.

Freedom of expression is always the first casualty when politicians are on a witch-hunt against the press.