Labour Party Protests Over Bidault Film

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30085, 20 March 1963, Page 14

Labour Party Protests Over Bidault Film

(New Zealand Press Association) AUCKLAND, March 19. The national president of the Labour Party (Dr. A. M. Finlay) today protested at the decision of the Broadcasting Corporation not to show the film from the 8.8. C. television interview with the former French Prime Minister, Mr Georges Bidault. Dr. Finlay said self-confessed political censorship had been advanced in support of the action, it being alleged that the telecasting of the film would impair relations with France.

“If the decision to test nuclear bombs in the south Pacific is any criterion, de Gaulle is little moved by our opinion anyway, br indeed the opinions of anyone else, but wasn’t it to prevent just this sort of thing that the corporation was created?” said Dr Finlay. He said the public had been told the corporation would be free from political control and have more independence, but at the very first test it crumpled. “Now it tells us that what is good enough for Australians is too bad for us,” he said.

“Australia possesses the full interview whereas we have only a snippet. Whose fault is that? In any case if the

thing is bad surely the more of it the worse it is. “I suspect that the true reason for the ban is an attitude that has been permeated by both the corporation and its predecessor, the Broadcasting Service, for some time, namely, that complete impartiality is secured by giving equal time to two opposing viewpoints. “This is not always or even often true. Many questions are too complex for simple yes-no resolution and a continual diet of such socalled impartiality is like living on cotton wool. "It is time we had on the air and on our screens a bit of controversy, a bit of prejudice. a bit of challenge and a lot more guts on local and externa] issues." Dr. Finlay said.