ATTACKS ON PRESS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23281, 25 February 1939, Page 15

ATTACKS ON PRESS

MINISTERS OF CROWN THE ASSOCIATION SERVICE IMPARTIALITY UPHELD SOURCES OF CABLE NEWS [BY TELEGRAPH PRESS ASSOCIATION*] HANMER SPRINGS Friday "The press of the world is 011 trial. Commencing with the establishment of the Soviet in Russia under Lenin, up to the conditions that we find to-day in New Zealand, the freedom of the press has been challenged," said Sir Cecil Leys, chairman of the United Press Association, Limited, in his address at the annual mooting to-day. After sketching the deplorable state of the press in totalitarian countries and the attempts of the latter to suppress free speech outside their own borders, Sir Cecil drew attention to the persistent attacks made by members of President Roosevelt's Cabinet upon tho American press, which, while giving his policies tho widest publicity, withheld editorial approval. "The position in America," he continued, "is not unlike that which we face to-day in New Zealand, for the attack on the press of this country is prompted, not by any suppression of the information that tho Government would like to impart to the public, but by a dislike of criticism of Government methods and policies. It is tho practice and not tho conviction of totalitarian and socialist governments to belittle the honesty and purposes of the press, which in most countries, and certainly in this, endeavours to serve the interests of the community and promote the welfare of the people as a whole. Government's Antagonism "The Press Association, with which we are immediately concerned, is regularly charged by Ministers of the Crown with bias and unreliability. On this is ostensibly based the steady antagonism of the present Government. There is absolutely nothing to support in the slightest degree such a charge, and it is necessary, if free speech is to bo maintained in this country, and we are not going to sink to the levels of servitude that exist in Russia, Germany and Italy to-day, that the public should be able to judge of the facts. "There is general public ignorance as to the service that the association undertakes, and I think it desirable that a statement be made as to its functions," Sir Cecil Leys continued. "A clear understanding of the facts cannot fail to disabuse the public mind of tho prejudices that the steady attacks of politicians are calculated to create." Comprehensive Cable Sources The work of the Press Association was divided into two parts, stated the chairman, and most important was its undertaking to provide a complete picture of world news. Its principal contract for this purpose was with the Australian Associated Press, which maintained in London a large staff of journalists, who had rights to the news services of the Times, Daily Telegraph, Daily News and Newspapers, Limited; Associated Newspapers, Limited (publishers of the Daily Mail, Daily Mirror and Evening News); the Daily Herald and Manchester Guardian. In addition, they had at their disposal Reuter's World News, the Exchange Telegraph Company, British United Press reports and Lloyds Shipping Service. A New York office had rights to draw upon the New York Times, United Press and North American Newspaper Alliance. There wero also correspondents at Vancouver, Honolulu, Suva, Capetown, Peiping, Shanghai, Colon'ibo, Hongkong, Tokio, Singapore, Koepang and Batavia. It would be seen that the sources of the cable service could hardly be more comprehensive. Unbiassed Record of Facts ' Although certain criticisms might be levelled against British, as compared with American, handling of European news, New Zealand had the whole range of British correspondents' work to draw upon and therefore should have a more comprehensive picture of international affairs than the reader of one or two London dailies could hope to receive. Tho Press Association had lately acquired the rights of a cable service established by the Sydney Daily Telegraph, and its international news now had a wider basis than that of any Australian newspaper. Sir Cecil referred to the great and growing difficulty, especially in times of international crisis, of compiling for cable transmission the facts of a constantly changing situation. Moreover, he said, national policies were capable of interpretation from sharply differing points of view, which also affected the importance to be attached to actions and utterances. It would be quite possible to present a smoothreading and plausible narrative of events in Europe, but to-day more than ever it was the duty of newspapers everywhere to report the facts, uninfluenced by political or other preconceptions. Non-partisan Dominion Service Regarding New Zealand news, Sir Cecil said that newspapers in all centres were responsible for supplying a summarv of the news appearing in their columns, including both events and utterances by persons whose views were of general public interest. In the production of this news service there were engaged probably not less than 100 senior journalists,- whose work was carefully watched by the head office. Omissions were promptly noted and partisan trends wero censured. The work of special correspondents of individual newspapers must not be confused with that of Press Association agents, whose function was to provide a basic news service covering the whole of New Zealand. "Ministers of the Crown, from whom criticism of the association's service mainly comes," said Sir Cecil, "are now receiving more attention and publicity for their utterances and movements than at any period in New Zealand's history. In the case of the Hon. P. C. Webb the assistance of this impartial publicity has been acknowledged; for the rest, we are prepared to let the newspaper reader be the judge."