HEART TO HEART

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 3, Issue 289, 31 March 1941, Page 5

HEART TO HEART

PUBLIC INTEREST COLUMN TRUE OPINION WELCOMED In applying formal closure to the question of the Ohope Road, a subject which has figured prominently in our correspondence columns for the past month, avc would like to take the opportunity of making a few comments relative to the obvious ilair for letter writing exhibited by a growing percentage of our readers. ( For this feature we offer no complaints. As said so often before Avte welcome all shades of public opinion, providing they arc from reputable persons, are not indecent or libellous and have no denominational character. AVe do feel however, that our very policy of fairness to everyone in this respect has lead to a certain amount of abuse by writers and w r e have no hesitation in applying a new rule which in future will be rigorously enforced.

Writers who desire to ventilate their views over a nom-de-plume will be required to retain that nom-de-plume until such time as the controversy inl which they are participating has been concluded. In the past there has been a certain dtegree of unfairness engendered by the practice of writing over several psuedionyms, giving the impression that their individual views a,re held by a much wider section of the community. This

practice is common enough in most newspapers, and incidentally is considered legitimate providing it is not carried! to extremes. Unfortunately in the recent controversy the habit in district grew to such proportions that we have been forced to make a standi in pursuit of ordinary decency and fairness.

The strictest secrecy will still be observed as in the past, with reference to the identity of all writers who desire to remain anonymous, and we have waited for the conclusion of the Ghope Road question before announcing the new rule which must be observed in future. The question of establishing the identity of writers is more or less routine in the lives of newspapermen and with the added safeguard that no letters are printed unless the name and address of the person responsible are also enclosed we feel positive that the interest in our public opinion column wilKbe greater in the knowledge that all contributions in future will be from guaranteed individual sources, and that no person will be permitted to seek to stampede a public question toy deluging letters purporting to coma from a dozen different people.

In announcing the above we feel that we have our readers one hundred per cent behind us, and we appeal to their sense of 'fair play* to support us in its application.