Conrad Black, former international media tycoon who was eventually convicted in the US of defrauding investors and obstructing justice and sentenced to three years in prison, has labelled Newsnight anchor, Jeremy Paxman, as ‘an a**hole.’ This abrasive attack on Paxman happened during the Conrad Black BBC interview on the program ’Have I Got News For You?’, a satiric panel show.

Conrad Black, who had been discharged from a Florida prison earlier this year after spending more than 35 months there, had, on Monday, characterised Jeremy Paxman as a prudish and susceptible British fool. The disgraced ex-media peer has remarked that, during the Conrad Black BBC interview with Paxman, he was proud that he had tolerated their heated exchanges without getting up and walloping Paxman’s face.

Conrad Black’s Hollinger media empire, which contained significant newspapers in the US, UK, Israel and Canada, had disintegrated in the aftermath of the aforesaid ignominy striking Black.

When Conrad Black declared on Thursday that Jeremy Paxman was ‘an a**hole’ on Have I Got News For You?, fellow guest on the programme, Victoria Coren, a poker player, challenged Black. Ian Hislop, a frequent participant in the show, expressed disbelief at Black’s terminology for Paxman.

Conrad Black went on to state in the show that Paxman has a technique, which is compulsively bellicose. The only way to respond effectively to Paxman during his show is the way of verbal aggressiveness, uttered Black. Black also uttered in the show that his abusive attack on Paxman was an effort at humour.

Conrad Black, the ex-owner of the Daily Telegraph, is in the UK to publicise his new book, A Matter of Principle. He has appeared on TV for this purpose and has displayed a confrontational attitude in TV appearances by voicing that his professional history doesn’t have anything shameful. He has revealed his potential plan to reoccupy his seat in the House of Lords.

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