SUPPRESSION OF NAMES.

Putaruru Press, Volume VII, Issue 289, 23 May 1929, Page 4

SUPPRESSION OF NAMES.

THE conduct of a newspaper is like that of all other businesses, fraught with difficulties. And these are added to by the requests that are made after each court sitting for the suppression of names and facts that come before the legal tribunals of the land. In established newspaper practice it is the custom not to publish the names of first offenders against sobriety, the publication of the names of children appearing in juvenile courts are prohibited by Statute, and no self-respecting newspaper will publish the names of women or children against whom offences ’ are committed. The names of all other, offenders are published unless the presiding magistrate or judge orders otherwise. It can readily be understood that it gives the newspaper editor no pleasure in publishing the names of offenders, but there is only one rule to follow and that is to publish the names of all those who appear before the courts, irrespective of their calling or standing. The press of New Zealand possesses an excellent reputation for its unbiassed fairness, and persons who importune those whose work it is to give this information to the public are asking that the high standard so established shall be departed from. The policy of the Putaruru Press in regards the suppression of names has been laid down on more than one occasion, and it is again repeated: It is that the columns of this journal shpll contain an honest record of court proceedings. This is the only fair course to take, and we cannot take the responsibility of determining whose names shall be published. To do this would involve us in .endless trouble, and the editor’s position would be untenable. As a responsible journal, we should either publish the names of all that come before the . court, or abandon court reporting altogether. We cannot see our way clear to do the latter, as it would not be in the interests of public welfare to do so. So that, our bounden duty is to publish the names and this duty will be carried out without fear or favour.