“LIBERTY” OF THE PRESS IS QUESTIONED

Grey River Argus, 24 February 1949, Page 2

“LIBERTY” OF THE PRESS IS QUESTIONED

LONDON, February 22. The Attorney-General, Sir Hartley Shawcross, in an address to the Newspaper Society in London today, discussed the “invasion of privacy” by newspapers, and referred to Princess Margaret’s recent week-end in Sussex. He said: “When, the visit of a member of the Royal Family to a village church is headlined: 'Princess With New Boy Friend’, many people feel that the permissible limit has been well exceeded. The paper’s readers were affronted, and the paper very properly apologised”. Sir Hartley continued: “There is, I think, growing public concern at what seems to be some tendency to publish details of the private lives and affairs of people, who, whether otherwise in the public eye or not, have no desire for sensational publicity of that kind. I know that it is not easy to draw the line. Even the public man, who enjoys very few rights, should be permitted within his domestic circle, his personal bereavements and so forth, the rigiit to be left alone”.

ENIGMATICAL LIBEL LAW Discussing the law of libel, Sir Hartley said: “The law court ought not to be such as to stifle discussion, and, on the whole, I think that the importance to the community of full and .frank discussion of matters of public interest may—l say may—outweigh the importance of protecting the individual against any possible injury to his reputation. It is for the press to ensure, as an internal matter, that the right to publish the truth is not abused. It is the duty of the press to report what it believes to be the truth, where the truth is of public interest, and to comment fearlessly. That is essential duty of a free press”.