FREEDOM OF GIVING INFORMATION TO THE PRESS IS MENACED

Wanganui Chronicle, 18 February 1949, Page 5

FREEDOM OF GIVING INFORMATION TO THE PRESS IS MENACED

N. PLYMOUTH, Last Night (P.A.) —“The finding of the Press inquiry into the Kaka air crash makes us think seriously about the relations of the Press with the Government and the public. I don’t think that the free- ' dom of the Press is menaced at the 1 present time, but I see growing up a i restriction on the freedom of giving j information to the Press, said the president of the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association (Mr. R. D. Horton) toI night, when addressing the association's annual meeting. i Mr. Horton said that members of the Government and Governmental 1 officers were representatives of the public and the public had a right to know the facts from them. By custom that right had been delegated to the Press. “We have got to keep before us the fact that freedom of access to information is the bedrock of our democracy,” he said. Principal officers elected at the annual meeting of the association tonight were: President, Mr. R. D. Horten; general committee, Messrs. C. W. Earle, H P. F. Blundell. W. R. Sinclair, E. V. Dumbleton, D. F.'C. Saxton, E. K. Kerr, W. J. Woods, (associated member, Mr. J. H. Rhodes); advisory committee for general matters, Messrs. C. W. Earle 11. P. F. Blundell, E. A. Blundell, H. N. Blundell, P. R. Scoble, D. F. C. Saxton; for advertising matters, the above with the addition of Messrs. J. D. Howitt, C. J. Ryan, C. M. Cox; chairman of section 1 (metropolitan papers), Mr. R. D. Horton; chairman of section 2 (larger provincial papers), Mr. D. F. C. Saxton; chairman of sections 3 and 4 (other provincial papers), Mr. W. J. Woods.