PRESS AS GUARDIAN

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30127, 10 May 1963, Page 12

PRESS AS GUARDIAN

“Unhampered By Ties” (N.Z. Press Association) WELLINGTON, May 9. The free press is better qualified than politicians to look after the public’s interest, the editor of the “Evening Post,” Mr Gordon Freeman, told a mens luncheon of the English Speaking Union today.

No matter how anxious a politician was to guard public interest he was tied to a political party and would argue against the opposing party’s proposed legislation for the sake of arguing. An unfortunate politicians-against-journalists issue had been raised in Britain recently by the inquiry into the Vassal! spy case, in which two journalists had been imprisoned for refusing to disclose sources of information

Some had raised the question that politicians were surely better fitted to guard the public interest than were journalists Mr Freeman said he disagreed because the press, unhampered by political ties, felt free to attack legislation He wanted to make it clear, he said, that he believed the remedy against bad laws was not to contravene them but to have a vigilant free press and public using every possible means to get them amended.

The two British journalists had been right in refusing to disclose their sources of information but. in that they had defied the law as at present written, they were wrong and had suffered properly for their actions, said Mr Freeman.