NZUSA Loses $2750

In a recent defamation action the New Zealand Students' Association had $2750 damages awarded against it.

Mr. John Steed, a senior journalist with the Sunday Times was suing NZUSA, as the publishers of Focus, and the editor Mr. Bill Gruar for $5000 for alleged libel in the June/July 1970 issue of the now defunct Focus. The action resulted from an editorial criticising Steed for two of his articles in the Sunday Times last year: "I am scared of drugs but I must have them" (24th May 1970); and "After LSD man tries to kill nurse" (31st May). The editorial in Focus accused Steed of "lies" and "distortions" and of a "liaison" with one of the persons he had interviewed. The defendants admitted that the statements were defamatory and they had made an offer of an immediate apology and $250 to cover any legal expenses Steed may have incurred up to that date. The apology subsequently appeared in the Sunday Times of the following week and again in the August/September issue of Focus' When the Focus editorial appeared Steed said that he had been "shocked and amazed. I didn't believe it. It seemed too incredible. I didn't know what to do about it". Steed immediately instructed his lawyers to contact NZUSA. The Focus Administration Board of NZUSA met and agreed, after legal advice to an apology and $250. Steed that he did not accept this offer and the next day a writ was issued for $10,000. This had been subsequently reduced to $5000 The libel arose from the particular issue of Focus not having been submitted for legal checking. Mr. Gruar said this mistake happened because this was the first issue of Focus that he had edited. The previous editor had resigned suddenly and he had only been appointed 5 weeks before the issue was due. He had not been informed of the system of legal checking that existed for Focus.

Mr. Gruar said that the editorial had been written as an attack on the general policies of New Zealand newspapers and The Dominion and Sunday Times in particular. He believed that the second of Steed's articles unjustly attacked and damaged the students' name as a whole and he had attempted to remedy this in the editorial by pointing out mistakes in the article. So, who will be paying the $2750 plus all the legal expenses and costs? You Will. As Vic is part of NZUSA it has to bear its share of the amount and this is worked out on the number of members each Students' Association has. Vic's share comes to $811 ...... Happy?