N.Z.B.C. Off Course Again

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31836, 14 November 1968, Page 12

N.Z.B.C. Off Course Again

The latest hubbub over “ Compass ”, the New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation’s current affairs television programme, has provided no new evidence for those who would like to convict the corporation of being subject to political dictation or at least persuasion; it has demonstrated once again the corporation’s extravagant fear of becoming involved in political controversy. The corporation’s director of television said on Monday that, because the corporation would be an interested party in the Broadcasting Authority legislation, the proposed “ Compass ” programme on the Broadcasting Authority Bill would be deferred until the bill had been dealt with by Parliament. This seemed to suggest—unwarrantedly, we are sure —that the corporation’s staff is not capable of presenting a balanced programme of informed comment on the bill. The explanation was unconvincing also because the corporation will always be an interested party—while this legislation is being debated and after it is enacted.

The corporation is not expected to use its broadcasting facilities to promote its own opinions—although it must certainly have an opinion on this legislation. From an interested party, any comment on the bill—however divorced from considerations of business management—would be suspect. The corporation has never aspired to creating an editorial opinion for itself: the personal character of broadcasting virtually precludes such a development, even if it were desirable. The question of “ interest ” simply did not arise. The corporation was wrong to defer timelv comment and questions by others who can show themselves unmistakeably to be concerned with the public interest. No-one pointed up the situation more aptly than the Leader of the Opposition (Mr Kirk), who whimsicallv suggested that the Parliamentary debate on the bill should be delayed until after the new “ Compass ” programme had been shown.

Last evening’s programme was lively and informative, and presented the views of the Government and the Opposition on many aspects of broadcasting policy and the present relationship between the corporation and the Government. It probably failed, where the proposed programme would certainly have succeeded, to present the questions and opinions of a wide range of viewers and listeners. Yet it was worth-while television and vindicated the decision to reinstate the bill as a subject for •* Compass ”.