Reporters Criticised For “Rude” Questions

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31754, 10 August 1968, Page 14

Reporters Criticised For “Rude” Questions

Some radio and television reporters were criticised by the Southern Regional Programme Advisory Committee of the New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation yesterday for putting “over-blunt” questions tn politicians. Asked after the meeting what the committee meant by “over-blunt,” the chairman

(Mr W. R. Lascelles) said it was concerned about rude questions. Mr Lascelles could not recall an example in relation to a politician, but said that a reporter in the North Island, when interviewing an overseas visitor, had asked as his opening question what the visitor’s salary was.

Mr Lascelles agreed that reporters should be permitted to put searching questions to politicians without being too blunt He said that reporters should be prepared to accept that statesmen could not be expected to answer any ques tion at all without considers tion. Mr Lascelles said that newspaper reporters were not above reproach in their methods of questioning. A visiting musician bad complained to him that the most impertinent reporter he had ever met had spoken to him at Christchurch Airport, and among other things had shown himself to be appallingly ignorant of music.

Asked whether the committee had ever reviewed its decision not to admit the press to its meetings, Mr Lascelles said: “The committee has done its best work by not having the fetters of press presence.” The decision not to admit the press had been made by all advisory committees. They were happy to leave things as they were.