▁ 1 9 7 3 ▁and ▁became ▁well ▁known ▁for ▁his ▁News night ▁coverage ▁of ▁by - e lections . ▁Fellow ▁journalist ▁Andrew ▁Mar r ▁said ▁his ▁fil med ▁reports ▁were ▁" a ▁new ▁kind ▁of ▁political ▁reporting , ▁much ▁copied ▁and ▁never ▁rival led , ▁which ▁ended ▁forever ▁the ▁era ▁when ▁parliament ary ▁by - e lections ▁were ▁obsc ure ▁and ▁largely ▁un report ed ▁cont ests ". ▁His ▁third ▁campaign ▁was ▁spent ▁do gg edly ▁purs uing ▁candidates ▁with ▁difficult ▁questions . ▁Very ▁few ▁escaped ▁un sc athed . ▁At ▁Dar ling ton ▁in ▁March ▁ 1 9 8 3 , ▁H anna ' s ▁broadcast s ▁helped ▁to ▁destroy ▁the ▁campaign ▁of ▁SD P ▁candidate ▁Tony ▁Cook , ▁who ▁had ▁been ▁the ▁early ▁favour ite ▁to ▁win . ▁ ▁In ▁ 1 9 8 4 , ▁H anna ' s ▁im partial ity ▁came ▁into ▁question ▁when ▁he ▁failed ▁to ▁dis gu ise ▁his ▁support ▁for ▁tact ical ▁voting ▁in ▁some ▁reports ▁on ▁the ▁Ch ester field ▁by - e lection ▁of ▁that ▁year . ▁The ▁Labour ▁candidate , ▁Tony ▁B enn , ▁accused ▁him ▁of ▁acting ▁as ▁the ▁SD P ▁candidate . ▁During ▁the ▁Green wich ▁by - e lection ▁of ▁February ▁ 1 9 8 7 , ▁he ▁public ly ▁accused ▁Ang ela ▁R umb old , ▁a ▁Conserv ative ▁Minister , ▁of ▁being ▁a ▁li ar . ▁R umb old ▁had ▁cross - ex am ined ▁him ▁over ▁the ▁alleg ed ▁im partial ity ▁of ▁a ▁public