NEWSPAPER REPORTING
SIR,—The daily newspapers have for some time been clamouring for more newsprint in order to carry out on a larger scale their task f ar informing and educating the British public. It may interest some of your readers to have an example of the use to which they put the newsprint that they already have. On April 24th last a young friend of mine, who was staying at my house in the Lake District, had a rock-climbing accident and broke his leg. As it so happened, Mr. Noel-Baker, Minister of State, and Mr. C. A. Elliott, Headmaster of Eton, were of my party at the time. This gave the event what is called " news value." In several papers an account of the accident appeared under a large headline: "Cabinet Minister's seven mile rescue dash." In fact Mr. Noel-Baker had parted from the climbers before the accident took place, did not hear of it until he reached my house and, much to his own regret, had no opportunity of doing anything at all about it. In another paper it was stated that Mr. Elliott left his outer garments with the injured man, and ran down to the valley for assistance " in his shirt and pants." In fact, while he did leave his sweaters behind, he did not re-enter the abodes of civilisation in that unorthodox costume! Both these statements were sheer inventions, designed, of course, to enhance the• money value of the " scoop."
So much for the accuracy of the reporting. Now for the ...:hods employed. On the night of the accident not only did representativt... of newspapers, snooping after titbits, pester Mrs. Elliott on the telephone up to 2 a.m.; they had the effrontery to ring up the injured man's parents— to whom those concerned had deliberately said nothing, hoping Lefore long to be able to assure them that their son was safely off the mountain— told them of the accident, in terms which, on the first impact, made them believe that it had been fatal, and so, though this impression was presently removed and some comfort given by the (false) statement that a hospital had been reached, inflicted on them quite gratuitously a night of intense anxiety. For such conduct no excuse is possible.
At one time or another I have been indirectly associated with several climbing accidents. On every occasion the Press accounts of what hap- pened have been grossly, often ludicrously, incorrect. On every occasion there have been attempts to dress up the facts in frills of sensationalism ; with a complete disregard for the feelings of the persons primarily con- cerned. I do not know whether the reporting of events other than climbing accidents is equally inaccurate and unscrupulous. I can only hope that it is not. But, after these experiences, nobody will be surprised to learn that one person at least, had he any power in the matter, would vote with both hands not for an increase but for a large reduction in the amount of
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