MR. LAURENSON AND THE PRESS.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LX, Issue 143788, 11 May 1912, Page 2

MR. LAURENSON AND THE PRESS.

In tho course of his address at Stratford tho other evening the Hon. G. Lnureason had something to say about tlio press of New Zealand. He, like other Ministers, appears to smart under newspaper criticism, and thereioro endeavours to make out that the press of the Dominion is dominated by the rich men opposed to the Government. Ho gave his hearers to understand that wealthy men were buying up newspapers in Taranaki, but at Toko on the following night he corrected tins, saying ho knew nothing about the Taranaki newspapers in this respect, but was speaking of those published in Hawke's Day, where one paper at least which supported the Government has been purchased by its rival supporting the Opposition. Upon this slender Inundation he made the rather startling assertion that practically all the newspapers in Hauke’s Bay were either established or bought up by tho wealthy men of tho Dominion and run absolutely in their interests. Ho had apparently forgotten, or was not aware, that one of tho two loading newspapers of Hawke’s Bay, the Napier Telegraph, supports the Government, as well as other smaller papers. But more startling, perhaps, wore his views about newspapers’ politics. What was a newspaper ? ho asked. “It was supposed to be an instrument to disseminate news. Could anybody gay that the newspapers of the Dominion were issued only for that purpose? The Ooiiservative Party—the wealthiest men in tho Dominion—were buying most of the papers in the country to champion their interests —tho interests _ of tho largo landowners. Take, for instance, Wellington. In that city there was a paper called The Dominion, run by the wealthiest men in N'ew Zealand. At any rate, sitting on the directorate of that paper were men who owned land, tho unimproved value of which was considerably over £1,000,000. Tho public believed' that the editorials of a newspaper were the opinions of that paper, but they wore misled. Ho knew some of our best literary men working on Conservative journals in New Zealand who wore at heart the biggest Radicals we had in the Dominion. They did not write according to their own political principles; they had to write in accordance with the dictates of tho directorates of their paper, and who wero they —the wealthiest people in the Dominion.” Now, wo have no hesitation in saying that there is very little foundation for the statement that the Conservative Party is buying most of tho papers in tho country to champion tho cause of the large landowners, or for any other purpose. Tho choicest morsel, however, of all Mr. Laurenson’s remarks is that “the public believed that tho editorials of a newspaper wero tho opinions of that pnpe.r, but they uro misled.” Most people certainly look to the editorials to ascertain a paper’s opinions, and rightly so, for that is where they are expressed. It doesn't matter who writes them; they are tho paper’s opinions, whatever colour they may bo, and whether or no they reflect or lead public opinion,