BROADCAST TIME

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32143, 12 November 1969, Page 16

BROADCAST TIME

Protest Over Policy The Canterbury Council for Civil Liberties has written to the Director-General of the N.Z.B.C. (Mr G. H. Stringer) to protest at the corporation’s policy on the broadcasting time given to various parliamentary candidates. Important principles, not of politics, but of equal rights for all, even unpopular mlnori ties, were involved. The letter referred to a public statement made by the council on September 27 “in which we made it clear that in our opinion it is not the province of the broadcasting authorities or the Government to determine for the public what- parliamentary candidates they are and are not allowed to hear. “Once a policy on televising candidates has been established we feel that it must be administered with the utmost fairness. Any deviation from such utmost falrness and impartiality creates precedents which will be harmful to the right of free speech and free expression—the essential part of civil liberties,” said the letter. The letter criticised a statement by Mr Stringer about the decision not to grant time to the Communist Party and the Socialist Action League, Referring to the Communist Party, he had said it would not be given time because it bad been receiving progressively less support from the public. “This may be a reason for reducing the time available for small parties, but it is no argument to deny the right to publicity to one party as opposed to another. “We feel that a reconsideration of your decision would safeguard the rights of all and show that the N.Z.B.C. respects civil liberties," said the letter.