Investigation Needed

The press overseas has been coldly scrutinized in floods of books and pamphlets—Denys Thompson's "Between the Lines" and Norman Angell's "The Press and the Organization of Society" in England, George Seldes' "Lords of the Press" in the U.S., and A. E. Mander's "Public Enemy—the Press" in Australia. New Zealand's press has never faced anything worse than Fairburn's 16 page leaflet of 1938—and that limited itself specifically to the "N.Z. Herald".

In the circumstances, student newspapers owe a duty to their readers to draw attention to certain facts about their daily contemporaries.

The most striking fact is that which astonished Dr. McLeod—their right-wing unanimity. This means that editorial comment is, in general, a chorus of praise for National and of damnation for Labour—though they may snipe at the Government on small local issues or on the general question of taxing and spending which usually implies an attack on the "expensive" welfare functions of the State.

It also means that items of news favourable to right-wing views are given a lot of space, prominent positions, and big headlines, while unfavourable items are stowed away in comers, distorted, chopped up, or suppressed altogether. As a last resort the press has been known to publish' what are known in Parliament as "inaccuracies", and to either neglect to apologize or publish the apology in some obscure crevice.

For example, Labour movement news is never given any prominence unless it involves cither a defeat of radical by moderate elements, or can be given a twist unfavourable to whole movement. A squabble between Wellington's L.R.C. and Trades Council was given a succession of double-column headlines last October evidently for the latter reason. Similarly, the scare words "nationalization" and "controls" made acceptable copy out of certain Labour Party conference remits published in the papers three weeks ago.

This sort of thing will be kept up and intensified as the election approaches—just as prior to every other election in New Zealand's history.