‘warcry’ To Defence Of Miss Bartlett (Press, 30 September 1980)

The Salvation Army has come to the defence of Miss Patricia Bartlett, a morals campaigner, in light of controversy surrounding her recent book-importing activities. Miss Bartlett faced significant media backlash after it was revealed that she used an assumed name to import books deemed to have "prurient interest" for review by the Indecent Publications Tribunal. The Salvation Army’s magazine, "Warcry," criticises the media portrayal of Miss Bartlett, describing her as having been unfairly depicted as a bluestocking Aunt Sally figure. "Warcry" claims that the coverage she received was heavily biased, lacking comprehensive background and context that the public needed to understand the full situation. In their statement, "Warcry" defended Miss Bartlett's actions, asserting that her motives were pure and rooted in moral courage. The publication dismissed the harmful commentary surrounding her actions as the product of a "mindless wink, wink, nudge, nudge" attitude from those deemed to have a dirty mind. The magazine suggested that rather than targeting Miss Bartlett, the focus of ridicule should shift to the publishers of the books in question, which it referred to as "pathetic rubbish." The defence from the Salvation Army highlights an ongoing dialogue around censorship, morality, and the role of public figures in advocating for societal values.

The text on this page is created, in the most part, using Generative AI and so may contain errors or omissions. It is supplied to you without guarantee or warranty of correctness. If you find an error or would like to make a content suggestion please get in contact

The text on this page is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 New Zealand