JOURNALISTS’ STAND

Evening Star, Issue 25956, 22 November 1946, Page 7

JOURNALISTS’ STAND

' TRADE UNION CONGRESS “ BUCK" BAN ON COLLEAGUE RESENTED <Rec. 1 p.ra.) BRISBANE, Nov. 22. The Queensland District Committee of the Australian Journalists’ Association has declared “ black ” the Queensland Trade Union Congress which opened at Brisbane yesterday. The Journalists’ Association boycotted the congress because it refused to allow Mr W. Thieme, industrial writer of the Brisbane ‘ Courier-Mail ’ to report the conference. The congress stated that it would allow any other representative of the ‘ Courier-Mail ’ and reporters from Other papers to attend. The * Courier-Mail'’ informed the congress that it had full confidence in Mr Thieme and would not report its proceedings while fellow unionists boycotted him. The secretary of the Trades and Labour Council stated that the confress based its decision to ban Mr hieme on reports which appeared in the ‘ Courier-Mail ’ _ under his _ name during the meat strike earlier in the year. “ The article complained of was written to divide reds, pinks, and greens and was not the work of a good unionist,” he said. A special meeting of the Jounalists’ District Committee decided to instruct its members to boycott the. congress unless it rescinded its ban by 10 p.m. yesterday. Late last night the congress replied asking that the matter be postponed until to-day, but the Journalists’ Association refused to agree and imposed the black ban. . The Journalists’ Association to-day will ask the Brisbane newspaper proprietors to boventt the congress.