MORE CENSORSHIP

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24737, 14 October 1941, Page 6

MORE CENSORSHIP

An attempt has been made to impose the smothering hand of authority on newspaper representatives and photographers engaged in recording the search, at Koiterangi, for the ruthless slayer of four police officers and two Home Guardsmen. On Sunday press .photographers were prevented from taking pictures at the scene of the crime, and orders were issued also that no information was to be made available to reporters by the police. We may be pardoned for expressing the view that some explanation of this' apparently unjustifiable 1 procedure should be provided, either by the Commissioner of. Police or by the Minister in Charge of the Police Department Since Mr Webb was on the scene it seems reasonable to assume that his authority was added to that of the Commissioner in denying to the press representatives facilities to which they would be ordinarily entitled. This is not a case in which the adoption of such summary measures could be regarded as in any way serving the public interest. On the contrary, it is a matter of urgent public interest that rumour and hysteria should be avoided where the proceedings in the district menaced by a dangerous criminal are concerned, for which reason the full co-operation of the police should be extended to the press in presenting news for which there is naturally the keenest public demand. Nothing that is printed in the daily press can affect the conduct of the hunt for the murderer. Nor will the press representatives be prevented, even by official hostility, from doing their job to the best of their ability. What the decision, arbitrarily taken, to deny them access to accurate information does mean is that they will have to rely on hearsay or the results of-their own observations to piece together the news for which the whole country is anxiously waiting. A more tolerant or commonsense official approach would remove the danger of error or incomplete statement in any account of police activities that may be given to the public. We do not profess to know what powers, if any, are possessed by the police to hinder or prevent the legitimate operations of newspapermen. What we do know is that the newspapers, in this grim business as in circumstances of news-gathering less dramatic, have a clear duty to perform, and that, they have a right to expect official assistance rather than discouragement in the performance of if ■■