Seminar discusses news control

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33254, 18 June 1973, Page 14

Seminar discusses news control

“Who Controls the News?” was the subject of a W.E.A. seminar yesterday. A panel of four experienced journalists expressed their views on different aspects of news gathering and promotion, and most members of the seminar asked questions or made observations.

There was no disagreement with an observation made by one speaker that no one person or even groups of persons controlled the news. The seminar was presided over by Mr W. James, readei in journalism at the University of Canterbury, and the Sanel consisted of Messrs A. :. Cant, former editor of “The Press,” Mr M. B Forbes, assistant editor of the “Christchurch Star," Mr G. W. Hart, regional news editor of the N.Z.8.C., and Mr D. Young, a “Christchurch Star” journalist.

Mr Cant said he was satisfied after 45 years experience in journalism that news was one of the least controlled commodities in the world, at least in democratic countries.

There were a lot of people who had an influence on the speed, direction and flow of news—this was inevitable—but no one person had overall control of news as such. NO HIDING TRUTH

Today nobody could have the truth hidden for very long on any subject because there were so many forms of news media fossicking for information that nothing could be kept quiet, said Mr Cant.

News selection was essentially democratic because so many people were involved in producing the news, said Mr Forbes. There was such a flow of news every day| that no one person could, hope to cope with it. The editor of a large; newspaper did not have much to do with the news that actually went into the paper—this was more the realm of the chief sub-editor or the chief reporter or both. "Over all it would be very difficult for one person to have control of the news in the way that it is sometimes alleged to occur,” said Mr Forbes.

Doubts about the effectiveness of proposals for the N.Z.B.C. were expressed by Mr Hart, who said that the great desire of those in broadcasting was to be allowed to get on with the job of broadcasting. “MIDDLE COURSE” Asked why the N.Z.B.C. did not editorialise, Mr Hart said its task was to be impartial, to steer a middle course. As a corporation it could not take sides as a newspaper could. Mr Hart offered the advice that those who wished to be well informed should read the newspapers, those who wanted news quickly and accurately should listen to the radio, and those who wanted

information and entertainment should watch television.

Newspapers were subjected to certain pressures but on the whole they withstood them fairly well, said Mr Young. One problem for New Zealand newspapers was caused by the smallness of the country and the desire of newspapers not to offend anyone; another was advertising. In a later discussion on advertising, Mr Cant said that advertising had less impact on news selection than people imagined. Newspapers : could not live without advertising—those who suggested ; charging 15c or 20c a paper and doing without advertising were being starry-eyed; all that would happen would be that fewer newspapers would be sold.

One of the biggest advertisers in newspapers were the cigarette companies, but this did not prevent newspapers carrying articles against smoking, he said.