June 28, 1985

Canada’s Number 0

Siro nmer ore Inglewood for sale :

News 985-2131

Classified 986-6222

Circulation 986-1337

64 pages 25¢

School's

S denies

Out

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reporting allegations

A CHARGE OF biased reporting brought the
North Shore News before the B.C, Press Council.

North Vancouver resident
Fiona McQuarrie lodged a
complaint with the council
cver a March 24 front page

PRO.
WEEPS LGH
LECTIONS

report on an earlier press
council session involving
News columnist Doug Col-
lins and Philip Pinkus.

LIFE

McQuarrie told a session
of the council gathered in
Richmond Thursday that her
complaint was not with the

facts of the article but arose
from the presentation of
arguments of each side.

The complaint stems frum
an article written by News
Editor-in-Chief Noel
Wright, on a closed session

Wright's

of the council. The council

heard a complaint from
Pinkus against an article
written by Collins. As

spokesman for the News,
Wright was the only reporter
present at the closed hearing.

McQuarrie said the article
described Pinkus in sarcastic
terms. And the former
reporter for the ‘Province
and the Sun newspapers said
the article was biased on
“‘generally accepted  stan-
dards of journalism."’

McQuarrie quoted Wright
as describing Pinkus’ testi-
mony with the words
“tdeclared, claimed and
charged.’”” On the other
hand, said McQuarrie,
Wright wrote of his own tes-
timony and that of colum-
nist Collins with the words
“pointed out, noted, ex-
plained and emphasized."’

McQuarrie, an SFU stu-
dent and freelance juurnal-
ist, said the article exhibited
unnecessary sarcasm. Mc-
Quarrie said since the article
was presented as a news
story it should be subjected
to the same standards as any
other news story.

And McQuarrie said
notice at the
beginning of the article,
that ‘‘writing the siory of
your own trial isn’t the type
of reporting encouraged by
the best schools of journal-
ism," did not excuse the bias
she said the article was guilty
off.

McQuarrie asked why the
News did not, as other
media were forced to do,
assign a reporter to get the
views of both participants in

Four new LGH members

PRO-LIFE delegates swept the polls by a slim

Abortion was again the

issue in the election as pro-
life candidates (who oppose
abortion) battled pro-choice
candidates (who believe in
abortion as an option) for
four vacant seats on the 16-
seat board.

The pro-life candidates —

margin at Lions Gate Hospital's annual generat
meeting Wednesday night.

two front West Vancouver,
one from North Van City

and one fram Narnth Van
District — filled all four
director vacancies on the

North and West Vancouver

Hospital Board.

The four incumbent board
nominees were defeated by
us few us 17 votes in West
Vancouver and by as many
as 73 votes in North Van Ci-
ty. Of the 3,442 hospital
board members, 1,881. cast
their ballots.

The newly elected direc-
tors are Col. H.F.G.
Boswell, Philip Mansfield,
Colleen Donald and Victor

the tribunal.

She said the article should
have been labelled opinion.
“It looks like a news story,
but it’s not,*’ she said.

The News had a greater
duty to report an unbiased
account of the event because
they were the only media
representative there, Mc-
Quarrie said.

As a reporter, McQuarrie
said, Wright must give the
same credibility and respect
to all those reported about.
And, McQuarrie added,
Wright did not give that
respect and credibility to
Pinkus in his report.

Roger McAfee, News
General Manager, in rebut-
ting the charge, said Mc-
Quarrie’s ‘position seems to
boil down to the academic
approach of improper use of
verbs.”"

“At no point has there
been any other position put
forward than her view of
what she feels ought to have
been written,’? McAfee said.

McAfee said because
Wright's was the only report
of what went on, McQuarrie
had no standard of com-
parison on whether the arti-
cle was either factual or
biased.

“This is not to say that
the article written by Noel
Wright isn’t accurate or cor-
rect -- not only with regard
to the facts, but also to the
verbs,’ he said.

McAfee took exception to
the council's decision ¢o close
the first hearing to the press
and public.

See Press
Page 4

elected

Bennington, adding to the
present eight pro-choice and
four appointed directors.
Board chairman Hilary
Clark said Thursday: ‘‘I feel
disappointed and depressed
that members of the North
Shore community who pay
lip service to the belief in
democratic choice did not
see fit to come forward and
See High
Page 12