Freedom for the collision of views

By Ian McDonald 

Whatever happened to the National Broadcasting Authority Bill? Proposed legislation has been in gestation for countless years but there has been no birth.

I know there has been an almost infinite number of comments and recommendations from experts and specialists in the field. My own contribution has always been to urge that in seeking to bring ‘order’ into broadcasting we do not lose the priceless benefit of maintaining access to the widest possible range of information, education and entertainment and access also to views expressed from around the whole compass of opinion. Bringing order out of anarchy is an admirable objective but if order leads to a drastic narrowing of international programming and the stifling of diversified local opinion that would certainly be an unacceptable alternative.