FREE PRESS IS A VITAL ELEMENT OF WORKING DEMOCRACY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27078, 12 May 1949, Page 7

FREE PRESS IS A VITAL ELEMENT OF WORKING DEMOCRACY

NZP A—C opyright Rec. 9 p.m. LONDON, May 11. The press was one of four elements whose lively activity was essential to effective democracy, said the Attorneygeneral, Sir Hartley Shawcross, in a speech at Hornsey. The four elements he said were the Government, Parliament, the press, and citizens. He criticised citizens who did not record votes at the council elections. Of the press, he said it should be free and uncontrolled by the Government, able to express whatever views it held, and to comment, criticise, and prod. “ While some of our newspapers display timid sensitivity about criticism of themselves, they are fearless in their criticisms of the personalities and policies of others,” said Sir Hartley. “ That is right Lively criticism, even if sometimes misconceived or unfair, is the life blood of democracy. On the whole, we have, as I have said before, a pretty good press in this country, and \ve can certainly feel that this essential element in democracy is fully represented.” It had been suggested that everybody should be compelled to vote That savoured too much of totalitarianism, and it would result in people voting .blindly and indifferently,” he said.

Speaking at the Newspaper Press Fund’s annual dinner, the Conservative member of Parliament, Mr Brendan Bracken, said constant attacks on the press were not to the advantage of the country. The whole of the London morning newspapers daily published something like 1.000.000 statements of fact of which he would wager that less than one-tenth of 1 per cent, was inaccurate. Mr Bracken said that journalists and ooliticians would never get on well together, because their essentia] duties were so different. The era of comnetition in the newspaper industry had returnad. said Lord Beaverbrook’s son. Mr Max Aitken, who presided. There had been two restrictive factors—the limitation of the supply of newsprint and the high nr ice of newsprint. Within a few months the world shortage of newsprint, had been changed into a world surplus. Scandinavian stocks of pulp were now between 800 00(1 and 750.000 tons. The price of newsprint was until recently £4l 10s a ton. compared with £9 10. s a ton before the war. but on May 9 the Scandinavians accented £33 a ton. Mr Aitken said: “It does not mean bigger newspapers at once, but newspapers will now gradually increase in size.”