Fake-over prompts Newspaper Bill

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32635, 17 June 1971, Page 2

Fake-over prompts Newspaper Bill

<N«U) Zealand Preu Association) WELLINGTON, June 16. The recent negotiation for the “Waikato Times” by the “Dominion” was not a merger as was being put around, but “a take-over consummated only by some rather dubious tactics by the Wellington Publishing Company,” said Dr A. M. Finlay (Lab., Henderson) in Parliament today.

Introducing his Newspaper Ownership Bill, Dr Finlay said he had been prompted in this by the take-over of the “Waikato Times”—“one of New Zealand’s most spirited and independent papers”—by the “Dominion,” which he called “the, dreariest, dullest and most conformist paper in New Zealand.”

News and opinion were highly personalised con-; cepts, Dr Finlay said,! and it was important for the public to know < who was determining l what events were news- t worthy, and who was, passing opinion on those f matters, • The purpose of his bill, Dr i Finlay said, was to see that! no change of newspaper i ownership could take place without a prior hearing be-1 fore a newspaper authority, 1 to be established by the bill, i The authority would look * at any proposed change of l ownership in the public | interest; at present ily the interests of the companies in- 1 volVed and their shareholders i were considered. < ’ 4 “Only weeks” 1 In tiie case of the “Dominion” and the "Waikato Times,” the Wellington Publishing Company (the take-over company) had promised that it would not change the editorial policy of the "victim newspaper,” Dr Finlay said, but this promise had lasted only a few weeks. Dr Finlay said the threeman authority to be established by the bill would have to give its consent before any person or company could be substituted for the existing publisher of a newspaper. Application for such consent would be made to it in the same manner as if it < were an application for a; transfer of a broadcasting , warrant under the Broad- 1 casting Authority Act. 1 The newspapers involved j ■ would be all those covered i by the News Media Owner-. ship Act, with a circulation . above 5000. 1 I I l Public interest t ' Matters to be taken into' . account when the authority . ' considered an application would include the extent to I which the proposed substitu-; . tion was necessary or desirable in the public interest, . and in particular in the I interests of persons who [ regularly bought the news-, . paper or lived in its circula- j tion area, Dr Finlay said. , Also to be considered, . would be the economic effect > such a substitution would I have on other newspapers, and the effect on the gather-, ) ing and dissemination of, > news generally. Dr Finlay said the auth-, ority would also consider the ’ manner in which the pub- > usher and the applicant had| I published any newspaper in , . the past; also, the desir-1 t ability of avoiding monopo- ■ I lies, cartels or restrictive : agreements in the news i media.

The Minister of Justice (Mr Riddiford) said the bill could hardly be described as more inept. "It strikes me as being quite extraordinary in a number of ways,” he said. When the Broadcasting Authority Bill had been passed, said Mr Riddiford, it had been bitterly attacked by tiie Opposition. Now the Opposition was giving that piece of legislation its blessing, by incorporating certain sections in its own bill. The Minister spent most of his speech asking why Dr Finlay was concerned about the take-over of the “Waikato Times” by the Wellington Publishing ComR. J. Tizard (Lab., Pakuranga) said the Parliamentary Prayer was the only excuse for the Minister’s “lamentable attack” on Dr Finlay.

Among words in the prayer are "laying aside all personal and private interest," and Mr Tizard suggested that after the Minister had done this, he had nothing left to talk about.

"At least no members of the Labour Party have any interest in the ‘Dominion,’ or any financial interest in the ‘Waikato Times’,” said Mr Tizard,

Members of the Labour Party knew of some steps in the take-over that had already resulted in threats to some people's livelihood, he said. Move approved Sir Leslie Munro (Nat., Hamilton West) told the House he did not know of any enactment in the Western world that restricted the sale of shares in any publishing company, whether it was publicly or privately owned.

The shareholders of the “Waikato Times” were the best judges of whether the take-over should take place, and the majority were in favour. The staff of the paper were also in favour of the take-over, Mid Sir Leslie Munro.

The bill was given a first reading.