PUBLICITY OF MUCOSAL

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28894, 14 May 1959, Page 7

PUBLICITY OF MUCOSAL

Criticism Of . Newspapers Newspaper reports of the outbreak of mucosal disease at Carterton on February 25 had given the world the impression that New Zealand had foot and mouth disease and the premature and false statement had done New New Zealand had foot-and-mouth harm, according to several delegates to the annual conference of the North Canterbury provincial district meat and wool section of Federated Farmers in Christchurch yesterday. A remit from the Darfleld branch of Federated Farmers was put forward objecting to the Minister of Agriculture (Mr Skinner) releasing statements to the press before proper diagnosis had been made, but this was later withdrawn after the chairman (Mr C. Wright) and other delegates had said it was not the Minister who had released the original message. “New Zealand newspapers are probably the fairest in the world but they gave wide headlines to the notice that we had foot-and-mouth disease. When the denial was made it was given only a few inches,” said a delegate. “The news went out all over the world that we had it, but my guess is that they did not even bother to print the denial,” he said. Several speakers attempted to frame a motion requesting the Minister to refuse to allow any announcement of a serious outbreak of stock disease until a full diagnosis had been made, but this did not gain the support of the meeting. “It is a dangerous thing to try to curb the press,” said Mr T. G. Maxwell. • “Our greatest safeguard for farmers is the complete freedom of the press. They might jump the gun occasionally but taken over all they do far more good than harm.” “It’s not the press we are going at but the origin of that false statement that someone let out. It may have been to the detriment of our overseas trade and still may be,” said Mr J. H. K. Woodhouse. Mr J. L. Macfarlane said that within six of seven hours alter the papers had published the news of the outbreak American meat importers had begun holding up shipments of meat and sending cables to their New Zealand connexions asking for details. “If the local press representative in a district rang up his paper and said foot-and-mouth disease had broken out they would print it without checking,” said Mr R. W. Palmer. “I believe that the press do check other things but this was one person’s imagination running away with him,” said Mr A. E. G. Lyttle, the secretary of the section. * A motion to replace the original remit was moved by Mr Palmer. It read “that this conference objects most strongly to loose irresponsible statements made in connexion with the outbreak of stock disease in the Wairarapa published without having been checked tth the livestock.. division. ’ * It ■Was carried. [The first Press Association message reporting the outbreak (from Carterton on February 25) said that “a virus disease, with symptoms similar to foot-and-mouth disease,” had swept through a dairy herd on a property near Carterton. The message ’-so said it was believed that the deaths were due to “an American virus disease which is highly contagious.”]