TRADITIONAL ROLE

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLV, Issue 21280, 25 February 1939, Page 6

TRADITIONAL ROLE

Policy of Newspapers

Seekers After Public Good

By Telegraph—Press Association

HANMER SPRINGS, February 24.

At the annual meeting of shareholders of the United Press Association today. the chairman of Directors, Sir Cecil Leys, said that speaking at the Australian Newspaper Conference at Melbourne early in November, Sir Keith Murdoch said that he felt members were faced with a great many difficulties even in the early months ahead. He was one of those who thought that great changes were coming with disturbed world movements affecting our lives and institutions. Newspapers would undoubtedly pursue their traditional role of independent critics and seekers after public good. “That surely is the goal that must be kept in view. The Press of the world is on 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. Autocracy and totalitarianism cannot tolerate free expression of opinion.” Sir Cecil then proceeded to deal with the American censorship, adverting to taxation and several other matters, condemning plans designed to supress free speech, and closing this part of his address by saying that “it remained for the English-speaking countries to meet attacks on the rights of speech and only by a recognition of the obligations that our hard-won freedom entails will this be successful.” Charges Unsupported Dealing with the Association’s work, he said that the Association was regularly charged by Ministers of the Crown of bias and unreliability, and on this was ostensibly based the steady antagonism if 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 be 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.” Sir Cecil said there was general public ignorance as to the service that the Association undertakes. “I think it desirable that a statement be made as to its functions. A clear understanding of the facts cannot fail to disabuse the public mind of the prejudices that the steady attacks of politicians are calculated to create. The work of the Press Association was divided into two parts: Most important was its undertaking to provide a complete picture of world news. This organisation maintains a large staff of journalists in London. They have rights to the news services of many newspapers. The sources of the cable service could hardly be more comprehensive.” “Growing Difficulties” “We are entitled to ask the public to bear these facts in mind,” said Sir Cecil, “and to recognise that the Press of this country is continually endeavouring to ensure for its readers a foreign news service which, within the limits imposed by distance, time and cost of transmission, will bear comparison with any other. I think also that our readers might be better acquainted than they are with the great and growing difficulties, especially in a time of international crisis, of compiling, for cabling to New Zealand, the facts of a constantly changing situation. The policies of Great Britain, and even more of some of the dictatorship Powers, are to-day capable of interpretation from sharply-differing points of view. From one viewpoint a specific statement of action may seem of little importance; from another it may seem for the time being all important. It would be comparatively easy for the newspapers of this country, through their cable service, to present a smoothreading and plausible narrative of events In Europe. By so doing they might, perhaps, greatly please one section or another of their readers. But there never was a time when it was more incumbent upon the newspapers and their staffs, both here and abroad, to report the facts, and in reporting them to be uninfluenced by political or other preconceptions. The business of compiling highly-coloured, speculative narratives, spiced with innuendo, may be left to other, less responsible media. New Zealand Service The second part of the Association's work was concerned with the supply of the news of this Dominion, continued Sir Cecil. “This is on a co-operative basis, newspaper proprietors in all centres being responsible for providing a summary of the news appearing in the columns of their papers. Apart from accounts of happenings a summary is made of the utterances of politicians on the Treasury benches or in opposition, of leaders in industry, agriculture, education, sport and all others whose views are of general public interest. In the production of this news service there are engaged probably not less than 100 senior journalists. Their work is carefully watched by the head office and notice is taken promptly of any failure to send out a report of any matter of public interest or any partisan .trend is censured. The larger newspapers have special correspondents in many centres, but their work must not be confused with that of Press Association agents whose function is to provide a basic news service covering tire whole of New Zealand. Ministers of the Crown from whom criticism of the Association’s service mainly comes, 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. Webb, the assistance of this impartial publicity has been acknowledged, for the rest we are prepared to let the newspaper reader be the judge. In doing so we would like to draw his or her attention to the remark of an American writer who very aptly says: 'The reporter is not an historian evaluating events according to their results, but a recorder of current affairs. The more impartial the reporting the better it is, but the worse it appears to everyone whose prejudice is involved.' ” Telegraphic Charges Dealing with telegraph charges. Sir Cecil said: "The Telegraph Department on January 1, 1939, discontinued the system of scheduling and charging in the aggregate for Inland press tele-

grams addressed to evening newspapers. Each message is now charged for separately. At the same time, the penal rate of id per word for all words in excess of 3000 daily received by any evening paper was abolished. At first glance, the charges appear to place evening papers on the same footing as morning papers; but the former are under the disadvantage, because most of their news becomes available so near to publication times, it'is necessary for them to receive numerous short progress messages. This particularly applies to racing and sports results. It is not possible to group messages for evening papers as satisfactorily as it is in the case of morning papers. Tire smaller evening papers, in common with the larger Journals, will have to pay more than formerly for short messages, and they will not find any consolation in the

abolition of the penal rate, as it seldom If ever applied to them.”

Messrs C. W. Earle. C.M.G., and W. J. Blundell, retired from the board of directors by rotation. Mr Blundell did not offer himself for re-election, and Mr E. A. Blundell was appointed in his

stead. Mr Earle was re-elected, and at a subsequent meeting of the board of directors he was appointed chairman. The next annual Press conference will be held at Rotorua.