Criticism of report

Press, 29 November 1977, Page 3

Criticism of report

Identification of Canon R. A. Lowe as the well-known clergyman who would give daily current affairs commentaries on the Canterbury Broadcasting Company’s proposed station — contained in a report in “The Press” on Saturday — was criticised at yesterday’s hearing (of the Broadcasting Tribunal. Before the hearing resumed for its sixth day, counsel for the C.8.C., Mr A. Hearn, asked leave to draw the tribunal’s attention to the report and to record his client’s concern about the identification of Canon Lowe. “We are particularly concerned that the name of the

(person who has been engaged was supplied to the I tribunal in confidence and I was not stated in evidence,” he said. The applicant company had supplied the tribunal and other counsel at the hearing with the name of the current affairs commentator, but the name had not been mentioned in formal evidence or cross-exam-ination, he said. “We would ask for a correction to the extent that this company did not say in evidence who would be engaged by this company,” said Mr Hearn. The tribunal’s chairman (Mr B. Slane) said that nei-

ther he nor the other members of the tribunal had seen the report complained of. “But, if that report did appear, it was not a correct report of the proceedings and I hope that a correction would be made,” he said. Telephoned at his home yesterday, Canon Lowe said that he had been a bit embarrassed by the publication of his name in connection with the C.B.C. application, mainly because of the exaggerated interpretation by counsel of his duties. “I would be doing a very short daily devotional item on C.B.C. — rather like Ivor Bailey on Radio Avon — a sort of ‘Lift up your hearts’ spot, but never an in-depth current affairs commentary,” Canon Lowe said.