Beatson emerging as chief interrogator

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33512, 18 April 1974, Page 4

Beatson emerging as chief interrogator

It looks as though interviewer David Beatson is emerging as the No. 1 replacement for David Exel as the nation’s chief interrogator. And "Nationwide’s” success in informing viewers on current issues depends largely on how effective he is in this role.

Tuesday evening’s offering was patchy. Mr Beatson’s effort with the two doctors was certainly built around a worth-while subject, but as the minutes ticked by, the interview became slower and more laboured. It was not the interviewer’s fault that the Auckland detective declined to appear and clearly things would have been much livelier had he agreed to do so. However, Mr Beatson stuck at it in the face of clear indignation from Dr Kelly, the medical practitioner’s representative, at the police • statement.

The programme did throw up one or two interesting points, such as the difficulty of determining just who is an addict and the incidence of thefts of narcotics. Mr Beatson did much better with the associate editor of “Pravda,” who in a short interview made it quite clear that he has his own special interpretation of editorial freedom.

With his newspaper journalism background, Mr Beatson was in his element in this field. His deft questioning drew forth the immense gulf in attitudes towards the expression of critical opinion between a communist state and a Western democracy. As the visiting editor pointed out, two very different societies were involved, and the concept of a major newspaper being part of the ruling party’s machinery came across strongly. The most intriguing piece on “Nationwide” was that dealing with allegations that the police tread softly softly when dealing with law

enforcement on the waterfront. This was the second in the series, and a useful contribution to a story that

obviously has not yet ended. It was interesting to note that now the programme is giving the reason why politicians do not appear— Mr Connelly had a “prior engagement.’’ the interview of the Russian journalist set the mood for quite an interesting episode of “The Guardians” in which the all-powerful police-state machinery was challenged by the mysterious radio-broadcasting "Quannby” organisation. This was over-theatrical at times with an over-emphasis on the deliberations of the Guardians. But the idea was

intriguing—with the protesting millions registering their opposition to their rulers by being late for work by five minutes all over the nation. Christchurch N.Z.B.C. reporters obviously worked fast to get film and reports on the national network’s final news bulletin. Centralised control could perhaps have given their efforts more time, but at least the essence of what was happening in the rain-soaked and flooded city came across loud and clear. “The South Tonight” also gave viewers relevant information on the developing situation. It must also be said that the fill-in film on Tuesday evening featuring snow in Dunedin could not have been more topical. —ICC-