THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3, 1974
GOVERNOR OPENS COMMONWEALTH PRESS UNION CONFERENCE
PRINCIPLE OF FAIR REPORTING MUST BE UPHELD, SAYS SIR MURRAY
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THE GOVERNOR, SIR MURRAY MACLEHOSE, TODAY CALLED ON THE NEWS MEDIA THROUGHOUT THE COMMONWEALTH TO PRESENT A FAIR AND BALANCED PICTURE IN THEIR REPORTING OF EVENTS IN HONG KONG.
IN AN OPENING ADDRESS TO THE 12TH QUADRENNIAL CONFERENCE OF THE COMMONWEALTH PRESS UNION, SIR MURRAY SAID: +WITHOUT EITHER DIRECT REPRESENTATION IN WESTMINSTER OR AN INFORMED PUBLIC OPINION, THERE IS NO NATURAL CORRECTIVE IN THE UNITED KINGDOM TO THE IMPRESSION MADE BY UNBALANCED OR INACCURATE REPORTS.+
FOR THIS REASON, HONG KONG, LIKE OTHER SMALL UNITS OF THE COMMONWEALTH, DEPENDED MORE THAN OTHERS ON FAIR TREATKENT BY THE MEDIA OF THE COMMONWEALTH. THE GOVERNOR ADDED, HOWEVER, THAT HE WAS SURE MOST REPORTS WERE BALANCED AND KOST FACTS CHECKED.
SIR HURRAY NOTED THAT THE COMMONWEALTH PRESS UNION WAS MEETING AT A TIME WHEN THE WORLD WAS FACED WITH NEW ECONOMIC PROBLEMS WHICH THE WORLD'S GOVERNMENTS AND FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS HAD NOT YET BEEN ABLE TO MASTER, ALTHOUGH HE FELT THAT THEY WOULD EVENTUALLY BE OVERCOME.
+BUT MEANWHILE, ACTION IS URGENTLY NEEDED TO SAFEGUARD THE STEADY EXPANSION OF WORLD TRADE ON WHICH THE PROSPERITY OF THE POST-WAR WORLD HAS BEEN BUILT,+ THE GOVERNOR STRESSED.
HE ADDED: +] SUGGEST THAT IF EVER THERE WAS A CHALLENGE TO THE PRESS AND THE MEDIA OF THE COMMONWEALTH THIS IS IT, CALLING FOR THE MOST CALM AND DISPASSIONATE REPORTING AND COMMENTARY AND THE MOST VIGOROUS EXPOSURE ALIKE OF COMPLACENCY ON THE ONE HAND AND OF PANIC, EXAGGERATION AND POLITICAL OR COMMERCIAL EXPLOITAT- ION ON THE OTHER.+
HONG KONG, LIKE OTHER DEVELOPING COMMUNITIES, WAS WATCHING THE SITUATION WARILY AND WAS LOOKING TO THE PRESS OF THE COMMON- WEALTH +TO SEE THAT WE GET A SQUARE DEAL IN A SITUATION IN WHICH SELFISH SHORT-TERM MEASURES BY A FEW COULD SO EASILY SPELL DISASTER FOR SO MANY.+
THE GOVERNOR SAID: +FOR OUR PART, NOU AS ALUAYS, WE ARE ,CONSCIOUS OF OUR OBLIGATION NOT TO DISRUPT OR DAMAGE THE HARKETS
OF OTHERS, AND TO CONSIDER RESTRAINT WHEN DAMAGE OR DISRUPTION IS PROVED.+
ON THE MEDIA IN HONG KONG, SIR MURRAY SAID IT WAS PARTICULARLY LARGE AND LIVELY AND WAS AS FREE FROM GOVERNMENT RESTRICTIONS AS ITS COUNTERPARTS ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD.
THE HONG KONG PRESS, HE SAID, ACCEPTED ITS RESPONSIBILITY TO THE COMMUNITY AND PLAYED A VERY IMPORTANT ROLE IN HONG KONG'S UNUSUAL SITUATION WHERE THE GOVERNMENT WAS FORCED TO GOVERN WITHOUT THE USUAL AIDS OF A LIBERAL CONSTITUTION.
-REFERRING TO
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