WOMEN’S CONFERENCE IN HONOLULU

Press, Volume LXXXV, Issue 25878, 10 August 1949, Page 2

WOMEN’S CONFERENCE IN HONOLULU

MISS KENNEDY EXPLAINS REPORTED REMARKS

Last night the lady editor of “The Press” received the following cutting from a newspaper published in Honolulu, where the fifth conference of the Pan Pacific Women’s Association is being held and at which Miss Millicent Kennedy and Miss Mary McLean, of Christchurch, are delegates. “Millicent Kennedy, president of the New Zealand Teachers’ Association, said the press, working as a free agent for expression, should also work effectively for the benefit of the public, and not be guilty of ‘careless statements’ as is sometimes the case with New Zealand newspapers.” The excerpt is part of a report of a meeting of the conference.

By the same mail the lady editor received a letter from Miss Kennedy, who had read the report in the Honolulu paper and was greatly distressed by it. She writes in explanation that she was' asked to give a 10 minutes’ talk on New Zealand’s attitude towards education from international understanding—a comprehensive subject—and among other things she said: “We New Zealanders consider the press an important source of information in any country. So far our important daily papers have endeavoured to maintain a very high standard of accuracy. We believe fervently in the freedom of the press, but this does not mean that we approve of careless statements or sentimental jingoism.” These remarks she intended to be a

commendation of New Zealand journalism and the attitude of New Zealand journalists, ana she regretted that the impr&gsion given by the Honolulu paper’s report was that she was, as an individual or as president of the New Zealand Teachers’ Association, finding fault with newspapers, which had always treated her and her association most generously and reported accurately meetings with which she had been concerned.