THE WAY OF EXPLANATION

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 3, Issue 274, 26 February 1941, Page 4

THE WAY OF EXPLANATION

WE feel it necessary in view of certain correspondence which has been appearing in these columns and in view-like-wise a, certain amount of misunderstanding likely to aiise as a result, to repeat that whiah we were at pains to explain, when the BEACON commenced publication, that we are prepared without fear of face or favour to give to all persons the right for expression of honest opinion. The above privilege is subject to letters or articles submitted for publication not being libellous, personal or indecent; the right being at all times reserved to condense amend or reject on these grounds. Writers under nom-de-plume, providing their full names and addresses are also included ;:a a covering letter can rest assured that the Editor will never break faith in this respect, rather deplore the actions of certain individuals in this town who have approached members of our staff in order to learn the identity of contributors . All letters which reflect public thought or opinion will be given the same consideration, for we are independent of all vested interests, political organisations or denomination of any kind. We strive to be scrupulously fair. Anonymous letters are retained and destroyed when 12 months old, and production can only be forced by order of the Court of justice. While we are willing to print letters on all subjects (even those distasteful to ourselves), we would like our readers to understand that their contents are not necessarily always a reflection of our own mind though we gather at times, many people judge it so. Subjects which the BEACON openly champions or espouses will naturally be our first consideration, and these we are prepared to support fearlessly and without reserve, but it should not take a great mental effort to convince our readers that we cannot possibly be of one mind with every contributor who decides to write a casual letter to. our correspondence ciolumns. In the wide ramifications of a newspaper, there is probably no department more delicate to handle than correspondence for reproduction and in this respect we have, in reviewing the past, no apologies to make. Letters representing all shades of opinion have been published, even though we have known the certainty at times, the bad friends we will make in the process. This however is the unvarnished duty of an independent news organ. We reiterate once again that all divisions of public opinion will find space in this paper provided they conform to the rules we have set down to protect ourselves. We have no fear of criticism or blandishments, and will thank God for a few enemies, for as we have already said, they will prevent us from stagnating and keep us alert.