Poverty Bay Standard. Published Every Evening. GISBORNE: MONDAY, JANUARY 15, 1883.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume X, Issue 1247, 15 January 1883, Page 2

Poverty Bay Standard. Published Every Evening. GISBORNE: MONDAY, JANUARY 15, 1883.

A section of the Auckland Press has been dropped upon rather warmly by Mr. Cooper, counsel for the accused man Priestly, and also by Mr. Earl, the learned gentleman retained for the defence of Mrs. Hamilton in the charge against them of having murdered Hugh Hamilton, as well as by several papers published in the South. Mr. Cooper said that the Police Court being only a court of record the Magistrate could have no power to prevent the reports which bad appeared in the papers, but a Judge of the Supreme Court would have put down such unjournalistic proceedings with a firm hand. He felt convinced that all would see that it was unfair, inasmuch as the prisoners’ defence had been unjustly and unfairly prejudiced. One paper especially was referred to. The “ Free Press,” is alleged to have stated the result of the post mortem examination justified it in dropping the expression “ supposed murder,” and adopting the title of “ Murder of Hugh Hamilton.” The presiding Magistrate was of opinion that Mr. Cooper had somewhat overdrawn the picture, but at the same time expressed his surprise at the action of a portion of the Press. Some of the Southern papers follow in the same strain, and we add our mite towards the condemnation of a sensational kind of writing becoming far too common throughout New Zealand. In fact if this sort of thing continues reporters in New Zealand will have to draw upon their imagination for their facts, and the evil will gradually grow until when anything out of the way may appear no credence will be given to it. In addition such writing instead of educating the public, a thing every well conducted paper should aim at, it merely panders to a morbid taste which is, unfortunately, too prevalent in the Colony.