Even Skeptics Believe in National Radio

- 1 February 1992

In a memorable encounter, National

Hon Graham Lee, Minister of Civil Defence. As noted elsewhere in this issue; ‘Mr Lee welcomed the ‘prophecy of a. British cleric’ that the Taupo region: would be hit by a mammoth earthquake on November 15th.

How could an official in the Minister’s position take: such a prediction seriously?, Maggie wanted to know.

“Oh,” he responded, “the Ministry takes all predictions seriously, unless they come from utterly crack quarters — and we do have a’

share of that…but I’m just glad that, at this time, we’ve got a large amount of churchbased people now involved .in Chil defence leading the way…

While Mr Lee admitted that he didn’t know any of the: details of the preacher’s predictions ‘and had done nothing to examine this preacher’s credentials — a curiously cavalier attitude toward potential mass death in Taupo — he thought it was good to see people getting in behind the prediction.

Maggie continued: “I must confess to certain surprise, Minister; that in civil’ defence you should take a prophecy seriously which has no scientific basis.”

“Well,” — he was beginning to squirm —

“then again, we don’t know necessarily from the seismologists when we’re going to have an earthquake either’ — they will say that theirs is an imprecise science as well.”

Maggie wondered “really whether it doesn’t cheapen the currency a little — of the seismological predictions — when we have a Minister of Civil. Defence actually going back to” biblical sources and taking those seriously.”

‘views from:my own, but..

: She persisted: “Isn’t this basically supersti-

Radio’s Maggie’ Barry’recently talked tothe’ | tion, Minister, rather than something a Minister of the. Crown ‘should be giving serious credance to?”..

“Well, if it was superstition, | wouldn’t certainly be saying anything about it at all. But…uh:..no, not at all. Well…uh…people can,,.can…uh…certainly have the right to view prophecy, !‘s’pose, view with different

.” And so on, to near incoherence.

For me, one point emerged most starkly from the encounter. The general level of information and critical discourse in our society depends not only on robust interviewers such as Maggie Barry, or our own

Vicki Hyde, who later pummeled the Minister in a Sunday Supplement presentation. In New Zealand, it depends significantly on the existence of National Radio itself.

That’s why, during the formation of the Friends of National Radio, there has been so much support expressed to me personally by members of the New Zealand Skeptics —

we’re all in the business of promoting more information, rational discussion and inquiry.

New Zealanders depend on news, information and critical analysis adequate to the challenges ‘of the day. Commercial radio here, as’elsewhere in the world, is not up to the job.” New Zealand requires broadcast services designed essentially not to raise advertising revenue, but to raise our understanding of ourselves and of the world.

Join, or send donations to: Friends of National Radio, 1 Waitaki Street, Christchurch 7