Accepted and rejected

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33959, 27 September 1975, Page 14

Accepted and rejected

Sir, — Freedom of the! press is essential in democratic society, but it! appears that your newspaper sir, also interprets this to. mean freedom to limit ex-: pression. “The Press” is no-; :torious among our larger dailies in that rules for cor-, respondents read like pej nances for admission to a monastic order. For example, you silence those; who for justifiable reasons! would be reluctant to be. identified under elec-! Pioneering letters. Controversial topics are often gagged prematurely so that! in-depth measures of the arguments are prohibited.) .Letters published outside' 'your repressive domain are! unacceptable. Letters referring to items of importance; lin other media are forbidden' topics, and correspondents; are often redirected to alter-; native channels. The more; liberal attitude of leading; ■ northern dailies would enlighten the enforced ignor-; ance of many local sub-; scribers. Your reactions arejt awaited with interest pend-'i ing detailed complaints toic the New Zealand Press, f

I Council and Avalon. —j 'Yours, etc., REPRESSED. I September 23, 1975. [The rules for letters to the editor are framed for the guidance of letter-; writers —primarily in the; interests of readers.' “Freedom” for every correspondent would cur-, tail the space for news; in the paper; in the 24 i hours after receipt of' . “Repressed’s” letter, 33; letters were submitted to; the editor for publication in “The Press.” Of these,! 9 are printed in this! ; issue, six have been accepted for publication; in later issues, four have! been held over to be re-1 ferred to various authori-i ties for comment, and 14 have not been accepted for publication. Of the! “rejects” (acknow-' ledged at the top of this, column), four exceeded! 150 words. Many news-; papers accept for publi-| cation no letters over a pen-name; some insist j on printing each corres-i pondent’s address; most make no acknowledgement of rejected letters.! - In the week ended September 20, “The Press”; printed 69 letters (apart; from letters on television ! programmes and letters incorporated in news items), compared with 54 in the. “New Zealand! Herald,” 34 in the; “Auckland Star,” 78 in the “Dominion,” 76 in] the “Evening Post.” and; 59 in the “Christchurch; Star.”—Editor]