News Media

Another significant field of development in the next few years will be the future of our information and news media services. The uniformly conservative orientation of our newspapers and the turgid orthodoxy that the NZBC is being increasingly encouraged to adopt has brought about significant demands for private broadcasting. Decentralisation on the basis of single station units could do no other than in the long-run encourage a common low standard of technical performance, programmes and cultural activities. As with industrial decentralisation New Zealand's population is inadequate to support autonomy on the basis of single population centres and Labour has recognised this with a sensible policy of regional specialisation. This will permit variety and economic viability, with fruitful competition for talent and quality without the waste of duplicated services and scrambling.

I would be the first to admit that the Labour Party is far from an ideal political instrument. Its organisation and constitution were not designed for the demands now being placed on them and both are long overdue for reform; However, the more tolerant attitude adopted to diverse opinion and dissent within the party and the unprecedented questioning and thought that is now going to give rise to hopes that a Labour Government in the nineteen seventies will provide not only capable management through a difficult period but also establish social priorities consistent with the principles upon which the Labour Party was founded.