Freedom Of Press Urged At Conference

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30452, 28 May 1964, Page 10

Freedom Of Press Urged At Conference

"The Press" Special Service WELLINGTON, May 26. Radio and television could never take the place of the printed word, Mr A. C. Brassington, the vice-president, and Mr A. F. Manning, the chief executive officer of the Constitutional Society, agreed at the constitutional convention today when they discussed freedom and ownership of the press. Both emphasised that the press must remain unfettered.

Mr Manning discussed ownership of the newspapers, and referred to the recent take-over bids for the “Dominion,” and the Government’s proposed actions. “It is all very well for a government to consider that it is in the interests of the country to prevent ownership of a key unit in the press passing into overseas hands,” he said. "That may be quite proper in all the circumstances. But it is entirely another matter for a government to tell either willing sellers among the shareholders of a company or an interested purchaser that any transaction completed may later be made void.” It was increasingly importtant for the good of the community that the independence of the press should be preserved, he said. With the advent of radio and television these media had become a major source of information for the public. Radio and TV In New Zealand, both radio and television were in the hands of a so-called independent corporation, but the corporation was subject to the supervision or dictates of the Government and as far as could be seen it was still virtually a Government department and apparently determined to maintain its complete monopoly. Radio and television could never take the place of the printed word, but they could have tremendous influence and do much in moulding public opinion, Mr Manning said. It was particularly alarming to many people that there was a tedency in many countries for the controllers of radio and television to lend particular emphasis to left wing intellectual opinion on the supposition that newspaper views were habitually conservative and that the other side deserved a greater voice.

Of the printed word, Mr Brassington said: “It remains, it endures, it works through the mind and aids and refreshes the memory.” He said the place of the smaller provincial newspapers in the life of New Zealand W3S very important. They acted as a cohesive force in a local community. It was gratifying to know that in the largest cities there had been a remarkable development recently in the appearance of suburban newspapers.

In Britain, and he believed also the United States, small community newspapers were prospering, even though some of the middle-sized ones had disappeared.

Letters To Editors The correspondence column, open to rich and poor alike, was one of the vital channels of communication between citizens which only a free press could provide, Mr Brassington said. The editor of the “Listener” had recently refused to publish letters written under a pen-name or initials. This policy was a direct infraction of what was commonly regarded as the privilege of

writing a letter to a 'newspaper without having one's name published, provided the letter was not patently malicious, was signed and a genuine address given for the confidential information of the editor. The “Listener" had attacked the rights of civil servants and many others who would suffer persecution or discrimination if their names were published, Mr Brassington continued. It had been estimated that one-seventh of the working population of New Zealand was employed by a Government department, a local body or some institution supported by the public. In many cases those persons dare not write over their own names for fear of retribution from their employers. In many cases they were forbidden to do so by the rules governing their em ployment. Even in private businesses there were many who for sufficiently good reasons preferred to keep their names hidden. There was nothing wrong with publishing under a nom-de-plume, he said. The famous Letters of Junius were one example of the effectiveness and value of this mode of expression. “The change in policy is disturbing .to those who want to see a free press which will fight for the public rights,” he said. . A free press in every country in the world would be a great help towards a better future for mankind. The indications were not reassuring; Mr Brassington said. The fight for freedom of the press might have to be fought again, even in Great Britain and also in even a small country like New Zealand. No Licensing

The press must never be subjected to licensing by government; he said. This would be the beginning of the end. It seemed that during the discussions on take-over bids for the “Dominion” legisla-

tion was contemplated along the lines of licensing the newspapers. “This reflects the attitude of departmentalism.” he said. "Licensing, of course, involves the right to issue the licence and the conditions contained in the licence. Somebody has to lay these down; and it would not be the newspapers or periodical press. It would be a government or a civil servant."