PORTRAIT OF COMMUNISM
Sir-I had no desire to make any further contribution to the correspondence regarding your editorial on Communism, but one item in your footnote to G. H. Sorrell’s letter on the subject must be commented upon, Mr. Sorrell’s letter implied, quite correctly, that if a~non-sectional journal editorially attacks a political Party, that Party should be granted a "full right of reply." In your footnote, you described Mr. Sorrell’s letter as "foolish and illinformed," partly because it implied that you had "refused Communists the right of reply," whereas the truth was in fact "that every letter sent to you by Communists in reply to the article had been published or accepted for publication." I have no doubt that this is the truth, but it is nevertheless something approaching a half-truth. As I pointed out
in my previous letter, it is quite impossible for anyone to reply adequately in a short letter to such manifold allegations as were made in the article and editorial. The only fair method of "granting a right of reply" in such cases is surely to allow one responsible member of the Party equivalent space in which to answer in detail the various allegations, In the belief that you would agree with this view, I wrote an appropriate article and forwarded it to you. You will recall that you returned it promptly with a short note to the effect that "our Correspondence Page is the readers’ forum, and letters at present must be brief." .
RONALD L.
MEEK
(Wellincton).
[Mr. Meek has exercised his right of reply, and this correspondence is now closed.-Ed. ]
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New Zealand Listener, Volume 12, Issue 299, 16 March 1945, Page 5
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266PORTRAIT OF COMMUNISM New Zealand Listener, Volume 12, Issue 299, 16 March 1945, Page 5
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