John Knowles may have lost TV job

Press, 30 September 1977, Page 1

John Knowles may have lost TV job

By

KEN COATES

Steps towards seeking the Labour Party nomination for St Albans at next year’s General Election have nearly cost TVl’s news editor in Christchurch, John Knowles, his career as a television journalist.

As it is, the future for Mr Knowles with TVI is by no means clear. At present he is “on holiday” by agreement with his employer. When the channel learned that the news editor might become a candidate, executives made it clear that they considered this incompatible with Mr Knowles’s continuing in his key post. He was told that if he accepted nomination and allowed his name to go forward to the Labour Party's selection panel, he would have to relinquish his post, with no assurance of getting his iob back if he was unsuccessful. This effectively meant

that even though Mr Knowles had not been nominated as the candidate and was some distance away from being selected for Labour, he was being told his career as a television journalist was ended — at least for the time being. Section 30 of the Electoral Act has provisions governing the conduct of public servants who become candidates or are elected to Parliament.

This provides for leave of absence to be determined by the public servants’ controlling authority and to be “not later than nomination day.” the date on which all candidates’ names must be in the hands of the returning officer. Theoretically, leave could begin as soon as a political party announces the selection of a public servant as a candidate. The law provides that in the event of his nomination as a candidate (with the returning officer) leave shall continue until the seventh dav after polling day.

During leave, no official duties associated with his job are permitted, and no salary is paid.

A Broadcasting Corporation manual of employment based on provisions of the act follows similar lines.

The Public Service Association took a strong line against the attitude of TVI. And the channel moved from the stance of insisting that Mr Knowles relinquish the news editor’s desk to an agreement whereby he goes on leave until October 12. This is the date Labour nominations for the St Albans seat close. It is likely to be November before the St Albans Labour selection is made, and once Mr Knowles allows his name to go forward. he will probably go back to work, but awav from television news. An advertising salesman’s post for Radio New Zealand is being suggested. If Mr Knowles is not selected as the candidate, after a period he would return to his post at the television news editor’s desk.

But if he does become Labour’s man to fight the next election in St Albans he would be given alternative employment without loss in salary in broadcasting until the start of his

leave period before me General Election. St Albans is looked on as a safe Labour seat, but if Mr Knowles is unsuccess-

ful in November next year he would presumably get his old TVI post back — certainly he would ask for this.

It could be argued that TVl’s insistence that Mr Knowles move out of his news editor’s chair is an over-reaction to a political climate in which television journalists have come under fire.

The channel’s attitude has overlooked the important point that a thoroughly professional job can be done by a journalist irrespective of his political views.

For a declared candidate who is campaigning and politicking it is a different matter, but a prudent journalist would remove himself from his job anyway.

Television One’s head of news (Douglas Eckhoff) yesterday maintained that the ball was in Mr Knowles’s court. He said he believed Mr Knorvles had not decided to put his name forward for nomination, but he confirmed he had given a clear indication of the channel’s atti-

tude should he do so. Mr Eckhoff declined to discuss his reasons for his stance, but denied it was premature. He agreed that in Britain it was common for 8.8. C. journalists to contest elections and then return to their jobs without the public turning a hair. But “there is such a thing as climate,” and in 10 years time things might be different here. John Blumsky, now executive producer for Radio New Zealand, contested the Lyttelton seat for the National Party in 1972. His case is not an exact parallel because he became a candidate only a short time before the election. He took two months leave without pay. But it would be absurd to suggest that Mr Blumsky does anything less than a professional Job because he was once a political candidate. Mr Knowles may become a candidate and is likewise quite capable of continuing in his professional job until the task of politicking demands priority.