Election Reporting

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXXIII, Issue 12622, 19 November 1908, Page 7

Election Reporting

TO THE KDITOR

Sir, — As you have seen fit to challenge me to express an opinion ab to the contention between yourself and the Chronicle concerning your treatment of the last of my aJdresses at the Opera House — for that is really what I understand your challenge to mean, the accuracy of your reporting of previous meetings not being in questicm — I must say that, so far as my knowledge goes of the arrangements, your morning contemporary is correct in what it states. My secretary arranged to have the address inserted as an inset in your paper on Saturday last, and it was after that arrangement had been made, and indeed after the type had been put up into in&et form and was being printed, that I was informed it could not be circulated in that shape, for the reason that it would mean too much additional weight for the runners to carry. In the circumstances, I had then to try and arrange to have the type of the report transferred bodily from the Chronicle's columns to yours. Your manager mentioned that he saw no objection to this being done, but that in the literary portion of the paper it was necessary he should consult the editor. You were called in, and declined (as you put it) '•to associate the 'Herald' with the expressions of enthusiasm" which appeared in the report of the Chronicle. I suggested that the report in that respect was not inaccurate. No suggestion was made to the contrary, but you insisted on the objection. As it was essential that the report should appear in that night's '"Herald" I had no alternative but to submit. You will remember that we then went over the report, when a number of the references to the expressions of approval — all which indicated anything out of the ordinary — were required to be struck out. The consequence was that the report was shorn of much that was necessary to correctly describe its character. I have pleasure in testifying to the general accuracy of the reports which have appeared in your columns, but I may perhaps be permitted to add that when one is called upon to pay for extended reports one has a right to expect them to be accurate not only in what is said, but in what the reporter might correctly describe as the feeling of the audience. In conclusion, I take the opportunity of expressing my resentment and the resentment of my committee at the statement which you have seen fit to make to the effect that "a deliberate and organised attempt was made to block Mr Hogan's last meeting" by Opposition supporters. Such a statement is an insult to them and to myself, and is absolutely unjustifiable. I myself attended Mr Hogan's meeting, and I certainly did not observe the slightest attempt at obstruction, so that I think it may be claimed by Mr Mackay's supporters, as well as my own, that nothing of the kind was attempted. The unsatisfactory character of the meeting was not attributable to the audience. — I am, etc., GEORGE HUTCHISON.

[Mr Hutchison has misinterpreted our challenge, which was issued in the plainest of terms, and there are also several misstatements in his letter. In the first place, we did not ask Mr Hutchison to express an opinion concerning our "treatment" of the last of his addresses. What we said in Monday's issue was this: The unjournalistic conduct of the Chronicle is, of course, only a lame attempt to evoke sympathy with Mr Hutchison, to whom we isue a challenge to say whether or not we have treated him fairly or unfairly in the matter of reports. On Tuesday we repeated the challenge in the following form: We again challenge Mr Hutchison to say whether he has any complaint to make about- the fairness of our reporting. It is clear that our challenge applied to our report sin general of Mr Hutchison's meetings, and it is rather disingenuous on his part to apply it to the one meeting, though he admits the general accuracy of our /reports. In the second place, Mr Hutchison's secretary made no arrangement with any of the "Herald" staff to have the address inserted as an inset in our paper on Saturday. His secretary will admit this, and he will further admit that

the only arrangements he made for an inset were made with the Chronicle, who, doubtless, were to arrange with ua. Wc> had no communication, directly or indirectly at any time with Mr Hutchison's secretary over this inset. It was not till after 9 o'clock on the Saturday morning that the management of this paper was consulted in any way on the matter, and we have clearly explained just exactly what then took place. So far as Mr Hutchison's complaint is concerned that the report was "shorn of much that was necessary to correctly describe its character," we have previously explained that the reports of all the candidates were similarly dealt with — no interpolations were inserted in any of them. We need only repeat that everything physically" possible was then done to give Mr Hutchison every chance. At that late stage more could not have boon done for any man living. Had Mr Hutchison given us adequate notice ho could have had a verbatim report in the body of the paper if ho had .>o wished.— Ed. W.H.]