APOLOGY REFUSED

Grey River Argus, 4 June 1942, Page 5

APOLOGY REFUSED

Sydney Newspaper FALLS FOUL OF FEDERAL SENATE. (Rec. 11.2,0.) CANBERRA, June 3. Because of objections raised to an article headed: “Those Meddlesome Old Men of the Senate,” which appeared in the Sydney “Sunday Telegraph” on May 17, the Senate has decided to exclude the representatives of both the “Sydney Daily Telegraph” and the “Sunday Telegraph” from the precincts of the Senate. The President of the Senate, Senator Cunningham, said that he had called upon the editor-in-chief of the “Daily Telegraph ’ to publish an apology, but the management had refused to do so. The exclusion of the papers’ representatives will remain until an apology is published. ■

Senator ' Ashley said that he strongly dissented from the attitude taken up by the President. Senator Ashley said that the article was written by an individual who is a columnist, and that a newspaper had been penalised for the action of i.n individual. Senator Ashley said he would not agree to any suppression or restriction, where criticism was concerned.

The "Daily Telegraph,” in a leading article to-day. said: “An apology was refused. This was because the paper refused to be coerced. Bui it offered the President of the Senate every facility to answer the criticism of the writer of the article, Mr Richard Hughes. The “Telegraph” also says that it replied to the President’s ultimatum, pointing out that his threat established a grave precedent that would be likely to undermine the function of newspapers as untrammelled reporters of • Parliamentary proceed! ngs.-