BRITISH PAPERS CRITICISED

Press, Volume XCII, Issue 27794, 20 October 1955, Page 13

BRITISH PAPERS CRITICISED

Views Of Press Council

LONDON, Oct. 19. The Press Council, voluntary watchdog of British newspaper standards, today censured certain unnamed newspapers for offending against good taste in their reports about Princess Margaret.

At its quarterly meeting today, the council passed a resolution which said that the treatment of the story in some papers had done a considerable ill service to the reputation of newspapers. The chairman of the meeting was Sir Linton Andrews, editor of the “Yorkshire Post.” The resolution said: “The Press Council has had under consideration specific complaints against newspapers and general complaints against the press regarding the way in which the personal future of Princess Margaret has been treated. The council recalls that this is not the first time that it has been compelled to comment on this matter.

“It must be stressed that public interest in the lives of members of the Royal Family is intense, and rightly so, and that newspapers comment on, for example Princess Margaret’s future, is justified, but this involves newspapers in a great responsibility in the way they deal with both fact and comment and in maintaining a standard of good taste.

“The council feels that certain papers have offended against good taste and have done considerable ill-service to the reputation of the press.”