The public misled
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If newspapers over-simplify, they are accused of distortion. The Press Council recently censured a newspaper because a sub-editor, working under high pressure, inadvertently wrote a misleading heading to an otherwise fair and accurate report. That is an ever-present risk when a journalist if fully stretched for long periods.
The Price Commission cannot claim that indulgence for its report on the road haulage industry. It ignores the Commission's qualifications to arguments and grossly over-simplifies the report's findings. It is far more deserving of censure than the newspaper I mentioned. Journalists, working against the clock, have based their articles on the summary of conclusions and have unintentionally given a misleading impression of the tenor of the report. The Road Haulage Association has sympathised with their predicament and has placed the blame where it belongs.
Its reply to the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection was restrained and impeccably written but left the report with more holes than a colander. George Newman, directorgeneral and Eric Russell, secretary of the Association, deserve a hearty round of applause.