Professional Standards

We should be thankful that we are spared the results of this type of competition. Similarly we are spared the type of competition which in Britain leads to complaints of intrusion into private [unclear: ives]. Few authenticated cases of such intrusion are reported in New Zealand. We cannot, as in Britain, clearly tell whether a dally is popular or not. There is no clear differentiation between papers as there is between the Times or Guardian as opposed to the Daily Mirror or Daily Express.

What is our Daily Press like? On the whole it appears to be conservative in outlook. There is no truly radical daily. Dean E. W. Barrett, quoted above, says that we have a Press "that appears to be decent, respectful and reasonably responsible."

Observers, Dean Barrett among them, trace the faults of New Zealand Journalism back to "the paucity of thoroughly educated and disciplined minds within journalism." Theories abound on the way to improve the situation. There seems to be a consensus of informed opinion that some form of training scheme should be launched.