Reporting on a minor survey with few responses which produced distorted statistics.

With a new presenter he reviews the brief for Column Comment, then comments on a story over the last two weeks on the removal of the editor of the Roman Catholic newspaper, Zealandia, and how and why it is a news story.

The reporting of the Prime Minister's Speech to the Public Service Association and selective reporting of the event which concentrated on the manners shown by the delegates (they did not stand when he entered), and whether they were appropriate. The content of the speech was barely reported.

The topic is editorial judgement and balancing the requirements of commercial printing and and how much to print, and whether what they print helps an understanding of an event if only the sensational is reported.

Programme starts at 06:27. Near election time there are charges of the press 'slanting, suppressing and distorting news'. Mrs Kirk is reported as saying the media "protect the National Party from all sorts of blows" and that if anything controversial was coming up the press ran small articles on it so that it was not a shock when the story broke. The newspapers are accused of being conservative. In Ian Cross' memoirs, Such Absolute Beginners, he notes that "he put the boot in with his Column Comment TV programme in 1969 when the nation's newspapers all lined up as a one-party press against Norman Kirk's election campaign. His point was that in a healthy democracy the media should be open to every viewpoint. He believes there is enough diversity today.

The broadcast starts with an unreserved apology to the editor of Salient, the student journal of Victoria University, Wellington, for a previous broadcast where remarks could have been interpreted as the editor had 'falsified the facts' or 'so distorted them' as to form a basis for 'improper comment', which was not the intention. The rest of the programme is on; details of evidence given in camera on the Broadcasting Authority Bill; Local Body elections and how the papers had the task of trying to make an dreary election sound interesting.

The newspapers give us a mix of interest and importance, what we want to read and what we should read, but last week the balance got out of control. There was mass coverage of the Olympic Games (interest) and the Prime Minister's overseas tour (importance) where the press coverage was 'totally inadequate".

The linking of Television and the election campaign is emerging as the dominant theme in many papers, where it is being seen as a significant new element in politics. Most of the comment is on images and TV presence, and how Mr Holyoake and Mr Kirk came across - or their 'acting' performances.

The articles and editorials in the papers have been decrying Labour policy and Mr Kirk, with the Dominion warning of 'Trades Hall domination of any Labour victory" Ian Cross again questions whether this tone of 'editorial partisanship does the newspapers, their readers and the politics of this country any good at all'. It does not advance genuine conservative philosophy and purpose at a time when people require impartial assessment of political policies. There are some signs that a more impartial view is being printed with the Otago Daily Times summary of the merits and demerits of each party.

This is the 'silly season' with the papers full of advertising, but not much news. Reporting of school breakup ceremonies produce reports of condemnation of youth and predictions of moral disaster. One headmaster said that teenagers were difficult and too much of his time was spent of 'churlish and ill mannered' pupils. Teenagers are variously described as; lacking manners; intolerant of opinion other than its own; thoroughly spoilt and thinks the world owes it a living. Various youth movements are countering these opinions.

Local news has dominated the press this week. The Southland Times is an old stager which still has advertisements on the front page and prints news and opinion, and like their bigger brothers charge 4 cents. But the don't give value for money, like the metropolitan papers with bigger circulations and budgets. The best 4 cents worth on Saturdays is in the Auckland Star.

Comment on what makes an election issue and whether the issues are of national importance. Papers followed Mr Holyoake, but there was little reporting on what he said, only what was happening to him, hooligans on the hustings and the prediction he was likely to retire (denied).

Comment on media coverage on the police carrying arms. Reporters starting to ask questions about how often police do carry weapons and what the rules on their use are.

Comment on the implications of The Dominion bid for the Truth group and the monopoly on Sunday papers. Also the attempted prevention of published articles by wanted criminal Ronald Briggs (the Great British Train Robbery) by the Sunday Times and Sunday News.

Comment of last weeks coverage of Britain's entry to the EEC. At the end Professor Chapman gives the date as 07 June, but it is 07 July, confirmed in the catalogue sheets.

The NZBC Television chief's decision not to screen the pilot of the Brian Edwards show has prompted much comment in the press. Minister of Finance, Mr Muldoon, is reported as saying 'by this decision the Corporation has provided an excellent reason for New Zealand's second television channel to be in independent hands", which has broadened the debate. This included condemnation of Mr Muldoon's part in the row. For a description of the content: His Way: A Biography of Robert Muldoon, By Barry Gustafson. P127. See notes for additional information. The Medical Association of New Zealand is being criticised over its statement that it would warn doctors overseas about the shortcomings of public hospital salaries here

In press coverage pre-election next Saturday there has been reaction to protesters, demonstrators and 'long haired non-conformists', National party supporters have been charging the NZBC with being biased toward Labour. Labour Leader Mr Kirk accused the National party of using news to prop up a waning image. A National party supporter favoured censorship of the media, and the TV programme Gallery was attacked for letting young militants express their opinions. In a democracy all opinion should be open, but most of the reaction has been against youth expressing opinions.

Comment that conservatives in New Zealand want the British Labour party to win their election as this is the best hope of getting continuity for New Zealand products into UK markets. Also that NZ reporters are now travelling with NZ politicians when they travel overseas.

Coverage about the shareholding in Comalco which became available yesterday. Shareholders include members of the Judiciary; wives of two former cabinet ministers; parliamentary journalists and newspaper executives. Share issuing was controversial as Comalco offered its shares in NZ to certain selected people like journalists, public servants and politicians which seemed like an attempt to buy influence.

Comment on post-primary teacher's salary negation demands with a top rate of $13,000 and how this compares with other state servants. The figure is attributed to 'an informed source in Wellington' but it is difficult to get a balanced idea for what is being negotiated and reporting seems to be 'officially leaked news'. At 3.00 Professor Chapman comments that the story being passed around is that Keith Holyoake told the parliamentary gallery the confidential details. Brian Talboys had promised the negotiations would be confidential, but apparently did disclose details to cabinet.

Individuals involved in some past controversy are likely to have it revived whenever they appear again in the news, but often this is not explained, just mentioned and can be misleading. This has been the case in the appointment of Professor Ian Milner to a visiting Professorship to Otago University. Professor Milner had unsubstantiated allegations against him in the 1967 Petrov inquiry in Australia. Most reports mentioned the inquiry without explanation. The most sensitive issue raised in the week's news was the ordering of pregnancy tests for single Western Samoan women coming to New Zealand. Initially the Western Samoan government thought this applied to all single women coming to NZ, but later wanted the ruling removed.

A weekly review of the press in New Zealand from the New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation (NZBC).

Under debate is whether our newspapers are printed to provide a public service or, as the Wall St Journal once said, 'a newspaper is private enterprise owing nothing whatever to the public...'. Happily few newspapers in NZ share that view. A new paper in Auckland is aimed at the large Polynesian population and has local news in four languages.

With the mini-budget, raising Lake Manapouri and the Kaimai Tunnel controversy the release of so much bad news in 'one package' is suggested by Colin James to be a contrived piece of Government news management. But how do newspapers cope with it when none of the items are front page news, and they need analysis and comment?

The hospitalisation of the Minister of Justice, Mr Riddiford, has prompted some editorials criticising the Prime Minister, Mr Muldoon's, tough demands on his ministers and saying it is time he reconsidered what he is demanding of them.

Bad news all round, but good for the newspapers. "Misfortune for the man in the street is usually received with great satisfaction in the newsroom". Comment on media coverage of the economic downturn.

Comment on the newspapers harsh criticisms of parliament as an institution last week. Almost without exception they condemned the marathon parliamentary sit in as 'completely unsuited to the times in which we live". Debates were described as'childish and trivial' and there were demands for parliament to put its house in order and become more business like.

Comment is on the aftermath of local body elections and the effect controversies over the Christchurch Commonwealth Games site were covered by most newspapers. The Christchurch Press in an editorial accused its citizens that they had 'voted with their hearts not with their heads". Then it sympathised with the ex Mayor and deputy who had not been re-elected. Then there is a continuation of previous discussion on the number of supplements during the local body election period and how much of them is advertising. This includes interviews with key personnel from the newspaper industry.

Newspapers questioning of the government on New Zealand's involvement with South East Asia, specifically Cambodia, has given bland and non-specific answers. Overseas reports are more specific. Doubts have arisen about how NZ came to enter the Vietnam War and there are questions over who is making requests, or exerting pressure as NZ'ers are getting information second or third hand. Events over the Seamen's strike are moving towards de-registration of their union with the government duplicating legislation which had helped resolve similar issues in Australia. However there has been no backgrounder about what happened there. Also, what does de-registration actually do?

Comment is on newspapers covering union affairs, as there is distrust of them among unionists, but papers are the key communicators and should keep comment and bias out of their reporting. The now de-registered Seamen's Union refused to issue a statement while an Evening Post reporter was present. Also reporting on the Presbyterian General Assembly and a pro-abortion report had headlines which were only partially true. The continuing story of the problems around the Christchurch Commonwealth Games.

The British press Association has said that Agricultural Minister Carter did not carry enough influence to impress the British. The British rebuff has serious implications for New Zealand but the coverage of the story and analysis was 'curiously muted" with little attempt at reporting at any depth. Speaker is John Kennedy, Editor, the Tablet.

The topic is the courage and vigour of the press after the recent libel cases. Are already cautious news papers being made even more cautions as they are afraid of libel suites?

The issue of the "Brooks Affair'.

The Union Steamship story has been well covered, but no-one seems to have asked the unions what they think of the deal. And another year long saga, the Broadcasting Authority's Report into television, revealing two main issues, conversion to colour, and a second channel.

Weekend newspaper reading has changed with the arrival of Sunday papers. It used to be a trot to the dairy on a Saturday night to get the sports paper. These papers are still around but are no longer the last chance for news in a week. The comment continues with a review of Sunday papers and their ownership as the Sunday Herald has just started publishing.

After hearing a story on radio the commentator looked for a fuller account in the newspapers. In Australia all radio bulletins, commercial and ABC are monitored as editors believed that people would look at their columns for confirmation and more details. In the National Business Review Yearbook it says "the press must cover in depth what Radio and Television only report briefly, but many local publishers continue to behave as if radio and TV do not exist". A summary of the year's changes in ownership and new publications, the disappearance of others and the improvements to the Sunday papers.

Local body elections have had a pathetic turnout - in Auckland 34%. Papers are calling the electors 'apathetic' and in Auckland attributed this to their being no major issues or disputes in the last three years. The Herald also suggested it was difficult to cover a campaign with 30 local bodies and 400 candidates and this would use 10 of its pages. However it has just printed a 24 page supplement on industry. So, if some newspapers have apathetic readers then the 'might richly deserve them".

A (unidentified) dispute has been allowed to drag on until the public became the sufferers. Comment on the reporting of allowing Red China to join the United Nations. As people have already heard the headlines on radio or Television it is the papers' role to extend this knowledge, but most papers omitted this. As editorials and politicians tell us our future is bound up with Asia there should have been better analysis. In Christchurch the row over the Commonwealth Games continues with an opposition group wanting to remain anonymous. But in seeking public support people are entitled to know who they are. It is 'the newspapers job to print the news even if it raises hell".

After nine weeks of presenting Column Comment there seems to have been more to complain about than to praise, but there are changes in our newspapers worthy of comment. The seem to have acquired a greater depth and variety than before. There was debate at the opening of the Centennial Golf Tournament in Auckland last week over the participation and withdrawal of South Africa and the reporting did not bring credit.

The British press is doing a good job in representing New Zealand's interests over the Common Market with headlines, background stories, editorials and letters to the editor, This is even with humour and cartoons, where Punch magazine and Keith Waterhouse investigate the origins of 'the Kith and Kin families" coming to New Zealand.

Wage awards are up for negotiation and 'wage restraint' is the key to stabilising the economy, according to Minister of Finance, Robert Muldoon. Comment is on how different papers handled this and salary rises.

With a wide range of topics to choose from this week there was actually nationwide coverage of Education Week. And Mr Talboys' controversial television appearance on Gallery with Brian Edwards.

Comment of the impact of headlines on the public. A headline from the Evening Post has been held to be a breach of parliamentary privilege as it lessened the esteem by which parliament itself is held by the public. Evidence from J H Robb on the Homosexual Reform Law was headlined, "Statistical claim is made that four MPs in NZ are probably homosexual". The headline was found to not accurately report the essence of the evidence.

There has been nationwide coverage of landslips in Otago; a timber deal in Kaingaroa and the bitter reaction to it; a new policy on immigration and the reaction; and a report on regional development. But the week's events need more interpretation than the papers seem willing to give them

Comment on whether the press reflects the public opinion.

Comment on press coverage of the findings from the Commission of Inquiry into the Kaimai Tunnel disaster, a decidedly damming document. It is reported as being one of the 'sharpest criticisms ever made of the Ministry of Works, or any government department'. Also debate of the 31% proposed increase in pay for parliamentarians.

How successfully does the press background the news?

Comment on Letters to the Editor as a monitoring tool of the media nationwide. At 06:22 Professor Chapman comments on a Tablet article which documents three cases of elision by the press.

1. The Auckland Star published a letter that commented on the inadequacy of its coverage of a civil rights demonstration in Myers Park. It failed to recognise the peaceful nature with more than 1000 people listening to music and speeches before marching down Queen Street. The New Zealand Herald did not report the event. -- 2. Maybe there should be a booby prize for the worst headline of the week--and in the Dunedin Evening Star the headline--U Thant calls for end to Chinese aggression--but this does not reflect the story.

Comment is on the reporting about state aid to private schools, and the lack of background information. There is a danger of news being presented at a superficial level so the impact is purely sensational.