EXTENSION BY REUTERS

Chronicle (Levin), 4 December 1946, Page 5

EXTENSION BY REUTERS

Press Assn.

Imporiant News Advance - \ N.Z. TO CO OPERATE

By Telegraph .

-Copy righ't

Ileceived Tuesday, 11.0 p.m. SYD.NEY, Dec. 3. Plans have 'been laid ior important developments which would advanee New 'Zealand 's and Australia's positions in thle iaitematWiaal •news fieldj said tlie general mafiager of Keuters, Mr. Cliiistopher' Uhaneeller, before leaving today by fiyingboat for London. Mr. Chanceller and the manr%ging- editor of Reuters, Mr. AVaitpia Cole, have eoncluded a five weeks'' visit to Australia and New Zealand wh-ere they had talks with the directors of the New Zealandl Press Assoeiation and the Australian Associat ed Press. The talks ■covered a wide field enibraeing closer cooperation between the N.Z. Press Association and t'he Australian Associat ed Press ancl 'ReivterV, ancl the problems oil' press communications in the Pacific. "I have been very much impressed by your newspapers, " said Mr. Chanceller. "They are seeond to nonc teehnieally and in journalistic quality. You have a free press — vigofous ancl ehallenging. Your journalists are well trained and capable. 4 feel it importain to say this at a tirne when somany establislied values and iusti-_ tutions are being eriticised and ehallenged. "Your newspnpor press, like the newspaper press in Lngland, doubtless htis its i'aults and bleniishes, but it is a free press serving the pnblic — mu iiistituhion which is essential to the working of out' free demoeratic svstem. It is the duty oi' the eitizen to support anl strengthen it. It is also his duty to understand how it works and the principles underlying it. "J can see grave danger to our vvhole way of lil'e in the action of some people who seem to be deJilterately exploiting the failings of our newspapers for the pui'pose of weakening om of the main hiriwa rks of our British eonception of hiunan rights. The people of New Zealand and Australia are among tliose people who have been blessed by the possession of a free press. The duty of a free press is to watch the. interests oi tlie, people. ' ' The • newspapers represent all the people all the time. A Government only represents some of the people some of the time." "Reuter's is wholly and cooperatively owned by the newspapers oi tlie United Kingdom on a nonprofitmaking basis. The New Zealand Press Association and the Australian Associated Press are also ceoperative newspaper-ownecl non-pj'ofitmaking institutions operated on.exactly similar ])rineiples. AYe believe in the same things. AVe have the same eonception of truth in the news, and we can work together. "One of the first things we intend to do is work out a joint seheme for enlarging our news services in the Pacific and the Kar East in those j'ounti'ies of Yital interesf foi'New' Zealand andj Australia. This will lead to the 'appointment of a number of New Zealand and Australian journalists to key posts in the Pacifie — to Toldo, Singapore And Batavia. There will be an inereasing fiow of Kar Eastern news to your part of the world and this news will be colleeted and handled under the conti'ol of New Zealand and Australian journalists."