Rights Of Press ‘Claptrap’

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32060, 7 August 1969, Page 24

Rights Of Press ‘Claptrap ’

(N.Z. Press Association) AUCKLAND, Aug. 6. Talk about the rights of the press is “so much cant and claptrap,” according to commentary in this week’s issue of the Roman Catholic newspaper, “Zealandia.”

The issue is the first produced by the new editor, the Rev. Dr D. Meuli, who replaced Father P. Murray after his dismissal by the Bishop of Auckland (Archbishop J. M. Liston). The commentary said that one of the reported aims of demonstrators outside the Archbishop’s residence was to assert the rights of the press. This was certainly revelatory of their minds, and was

demonstrably wrong, the newspaper said. “Only human beings have rights. Journalists have rights, but because they are human beings. ‘The press’ is an abstraction, a mere metaphor drawn from weights and measures, and has no rights whatsoever. “Press the rights of the •press’ and it will one day push aside the rights of journalists, scattering them like chaff, raising itself up like Moloch and consuming its devotees.” Dr Meuli sets out his beliefs in an editorial entitled “Introduction, Explanation, Appeal.”

He calls for readers’ prayers so that “the staff of ‘Zealandia’ will become the cutting edge of your prayers, carving out new territories for Christ. If you pray, 'Zealandia’ will not grind to a halt entangled in trivia or fly off

alone in rarified regions hopelessly erudite—it will ,appeal to all.” Dr Meuli asked readers to “think of ‘Zealandia’ as simply an unusual kind of parish and of yourselves as its parishioners, and pray that it becomes a truly effective instrument in the hands of God to bring about bis splendid purposes.” In a report of the demonstrations last Sunday, Dr Meuli said they were all friends of the Archbishop. “Why else would they come if not to urge, as one friend may of another, that he reconsider? They care. And with the easy friendliness of long acquaintance, the Archbishop disregarded their urging. He cares, too.” A photographer and two reporters have offered to assist “Zealandia”, which has been denuded of staff by

resignations in protest against Father Murray’s dismissal. Today, Dr Meuli raised the possibility of personal negotiations with staff who had handed in their resignations. The negotiations would not be with the staff as a group, “but on a personal level with individual members,” he said. There were many things that were negotiable, but others that were not. “I do not have sufficient information as yet to decide which are negotiable and which are not,’’ he said.

This week’s issue had been brought out with the assistance of the news editor, Mr P. McCarthy, who has resigned. No rancour was held against anybody and he wanted to keep as many professional journalists as he could on the staff, Dr Meuli said.