Brian Jones's letter asking Charlie Watts to join the Rolling Stones is revealed ahead of auction
A 1962 handwritten letter from Brian Jones urging Charlie Watts to join the band that became the Rolling Stones, complaining of their 'atrocious' drummer, is to be auctioned and could fetch about $80,000.
Left 0 · Centre-left 4 · Centre 0 · Centre-right 2 · Right 1
ContextSources by leanVideoDeep diveFollow the moneyMore coverage
How each side framed it
Left-leaning outlets
Left-rated outlets headline it: “Brian Jones’s letter asking Charlie Watts to join Rolling Stones to be auctioned” (The Herald (Scotland)); “Brian Jones’s letter asking Charlie Watts to join Rolling Stones to be auctioned” (The Independent).
Centre outlets
No least-biased (centre) outlet in our sample covered it.
Right-leaning outlets
Right-rated outlets headline it: “Brian Jones’s letter asking Charlie Watts to join Rolling Stones to be auctioned” (Evening Standard); “Our drummer’s atrocious! Letter reveals Rolling Stones’s effort to recruit Charlie Watts” (The Telegraph).
Context
We write the background for the day's biggest stories; for this one, start with these searches. How it works.
Search for more (live results, not checked by us): Wikipedia search · Explainers (Google News search) · Background and history (Google News search)
Sources by lean
Balanced: the same number of articles from the left, the centre and the right (up to 3 each). The bar above still counts every rated outlet we found. Bias and factual ratings come from Media Bias/Fact Check. How we balance · All ratings.
Left 3
- The Guardian
‘Dear Charlie’: letter revealing move to snare future Rolling Stones drummer up for auction - The Herald (Scotland)
Brian Jones’s letter asking Charlie Watts to join Rolling Stones to be auctioned - The Independent
Brian Jones’s letter asking Charlie Watts to join Rolling Stones to be auctioned
Centre 0
No centre coverage found — blindspot
Showing 3 from left and right of 7 rated outlets (L 4 / C 0 / R 3). More coverage
Video
News reports, explainers and podcasts on YouTube. We pick and balance videos for the day's biggest stories; for this one, use these searches. Links open YouTube, which has its own privacy policy; nothing from YouTube loads on this page.
YouTube searches (live results, not checked or balanced by us): News videos · Explainers · Podcasts
Deep dive
A short prompt for thinking it through. We write a fuller side-by-side deep dive for the day's biggest stories.
A question to hold: What would each side need to see to change its mind?
Try it: open one left and one right article in Sources by lean and note what each takes for granted.
Follow the money
Not yet researched. We haven't yet looked at who gains or loses financially from this story, or who funds the main voices on each side. When we do, we check company filings, the Electoral Commission donations register, lobbying registers, annual reports, InfluenceMap and OpenSecrets, and we apply the same checks to every side. How we follow the money.
Who owns or funds the outlets covering this story (7 outlets)
| Outlet | Lean | Ownership & funding (MBFC) |
|---|---|---|
| The Guardian | Centre-left | The Guardian and its companion publication, the Sunday newspaper The Observer, are owned by Guardian Media Group plc (GMG). Scott Trust Limited was created in 1936 to ensure the editorial independence of the publications and owns Guardian Media Group plc (GMG). source |
| The Herald (Scotland) | Centre-left | The Glasgow Herald is published by Herald & Times Group, which is owned by Newsquest Media Group Ltd. Newsquest is the second-largest publisher in the United Kingdom, publishing 205 brands including 165 newspapers. Further, Newsquest is owned by US-based Gannett which publishes USA Today. source |
| The Independent | Centre-left | The Independent is owned by Independent Print Limited, a company owned by the Lebedev family (Alexander Lebedev and his son Evgeny Lebedev). In 2017, Saudi Businessman Sultan Muhammad Abuljadayel bought a 30% stake in the Independent online newspaper. Advertising and subscription generate revenue for the paper..push({}); source |
| The National (Scotland) | Centre-left | The National is operated by Newsquest Media Group Ltd., a UK-based local media publisher. Newsquest is a wholly owned subsidiary of USA TODAY Co., Inc., the media company formerly known as Gannett Company, which also controls AZthe USA TODAY Network of national and local news outlets in the United States and regional titles in the United Kingdom. Revenue is generated from advertising and subscription sales source |
| Evening Standard | Centre-right | The newspaper is majority-owned by Russian businessman and former KGB agent Alexander Lebedev and the Daily Mail and General Trust. Revenue is generated through advertising. source |
| The Times | Centre-right | The Times and Sunday Times is owned by News UK (News Corp UK & Ireland Limited), which American News Corp owns. The owner and Executive Chairman of News Corp are Rupert Murdoch. Revenue is derived from advertising and subscription fees. source |
| The Telegraph | Right | Telegraph Media Group (TMG) owns The Telegraph, which is owned by Press Acquisitions Ltd., which in turn is owned by Sir David and Sir Frederick Barclay. In 2004, Twin Brothers Sir David and Sir Frederick Barclay acquired the Daily Telegraph and the Sunday Telegraph from the Canadian media company Hollinger Inc. for £665 million. For a complete list of Board members, see here. source |