'Free news flow is important’

Press, 18 September 1976, Page 9

'Free news flow is important’

By KEN COATES

Because of a decision by ->non-aligned countries to '-organise their own news a free flow of around the Shvorld was all the more a German emphasised in ' Christchurch yesterday. T Dr Hans-Dietrich' Ku>ckuk, of the West German radio corporation, Deutsche Welle, ‘••who is in charge of Eng- • lish-language broadcasts to jjAsia and the Pacific, described attending the recent “fifth non-aligned sumrrlt in Sri Lanka. •5 Representatives of the •85 participating nations of “informa>tion imperialism” by .’.Western countries, he vsaid. They maintained that big Western news agencies falsified what was happening in the Third World. ■» ■ ■ ———

“The conference itself was covered by Yugoslav television and all other television - coverage was excluded,” said Dr Kuckuk.

“The conference approved a declaration which said many countries were in a situation of dependence and domination, ‘passive recipients of biased, inadequate and distorted information’.”

A pool arrangement among no n-aligned nations, excluding the big Western agencies was sought, and India spoke out strongly in favour of this action. “But the trouble is that this will mean filtered news,” Dr Kuckuk said. “If Asians do not get the right story, or facts are restricted because the nonaligned countries want to filter or control the news, the only alternative is for

them to switch to the shortwave stations in the West.”

The German expressed regret that Radio New Zealand’s overseas service was restricted and said, “we are all in the same boat.” People could be deprived of information because of censorship in their own countries and it was important to maintain a free flow throughout the world.

Deutsche Welle, while Government financed, was not State contolled, Dr Kuckuk emphasised. It broadcast 34 services to all parts of the world, including two English-lan-guage, one-hour pro-

grammes daily to this part of the world. Programmes were also broadcast in six Asian languages.

The basic aim was to project the Federal Republic of Germany and to explain its views nationally and internationally. The broadcaster said broadcasts were far from being propaganda exercises. Different political views were given — for example, there was argument between the Government and the Opposition over a deal with Poland involving the transfer of 125,000 ethnic Germans. And for forthcoming elections, portraits of all candidates were given.

Here to find out more on what type of programme interests listeners in Australia and New Zealand, the broadcaster said he had quickly learned of people’s keen interest in sport.

West Germany also beams broadcast to the Soviet Union, and according to Dr Kuckuk news and extracts from books published in the West and written by Russian authors has been welcomed. “The Russians are also interested to learn of the development of Communism in other parts of the world — in Italy for example,” he added.