RADIO AND THE PRESS.

Hawera Star, Volume L, 25 February 1931, Page 4

RADIO AND THE PRESS.

(To the Editor.) Sir, —I would like to endorse the remarks made by Mr. E. J. Squire re your leader (Feb. 20). One can only take it that you wish to belittle the AA'ork done by radio during the recent disaster at Napier. If the press needs boosting it should not be done at the expense of the amateur radio transmitters or the Radio Broadcasting company. Your first remarkable.statement is that radio can never take the place of the press for the dispensation of neivs. Is it not a fact that the R.B.C. is under contract to the Press Association as to the amount of neAVs for transmission ? If the R.B.G. were in open competition Avith the press they could put the news of the Avorld into practically every house in the country Avhile the press Avas still banging the linotype. The leader then goes on to say that not until the press got on the job did tne public knoAA' “where it Avas.” This cau hardly be true when your first reports of the disaster were almost word for Avoid Avith the details already broadcast by 2YA. The truth is that the Press Association came along with a lot of second-hand news. The next statement was to the effect that prior to the arrival of the press reports all sorts of rumours Avere afloat. It is also true that many rumours crept into the press and the explanation that these Avere unofficial applies equally to radio reports. It must not be forgotten that 2YA took the precaution of stating Avhich reports Avere official. The statement which implies that radio reports need the Aerification of the press is also- a little daring. Many times of late has neAvs been given by the YA stations very much in advance of the press, and I think it is very unfair to the officers of the Radio Broadcasting Company to insinuate that their words could not be relied upon until verified. Did Ave disbelieve the R.B.C. Avhen they told us of Kings ford Smith or Guy Menzies? But to come back to Tuesday, 3rd inst. Only those who listened all night to the short Wave transmissions from Napier, Hastings, Gisborne and Wairoa realise just what radio did on that fateful night. Those little amateurbuilt transmitters perked away all night at top speed handling press matter ; yet the press, in all its majestic glory, did not even have the courtesy to acknoAvledge the source of its information. Yes, sir, I think it is- high time the press came down a little in its own estimation, and Avhile on the subject let us not forget the monetary side of the question. These little extras all come under our thirty bob per year, and the extra hours at the YA stations mean added expense. The R.B.C. do not, like the press, profit by these extraordinary eA’ents; as a matter of fact in most cases they lose. Noav that I ha\’e given the matter a little air I hope the subject Avill be dropped to give Avay to discussions more A'ital to the people in the devastated area.—l am, etc., LES. SUTTON. Hawera.

fOur correspondent has not confined himself to the points raised by us. We did not discuss, !for example, the method adopted for the transmission of press news; radio can be just as efficacious as the telegraph. If he reads the article again our correspondent will find that we disagreed with the “Radio Record’s” contention that 2YA had “proved itself a perfect clear-ing-house for information and an incomparable centre for the dissemination of instructions facilitating all phases of the rescue work.” We pointed out that the Press Association had a well-established news gathering service and the Broadcasting Company had to rely upon other sources of information than its own. Wo do not wish to be specific in our criticism, but for the information of our correspondent we would state that a few lioui's after earthquake news began to filter through we published no reports picked up from the loud speaker. This decision was made out of a desire to do nothing to alarm the public unnecessarily. Perhaps our correspondent will understand our argument better if we remind him that there can be no comparison between the reliability of the service which gives definite statements in printed, form and that which is given out over the air and passed on by word of mouth. In the latter case misrepresentation and distortion are unavoidable. —Ed. “Star.”]