This reminds of how some problems keep going and coming around in circles for Montserrat, the misunderstandings of the media and its relevance to Montserrat, the subtlety, the stifling of truth that the media, specifically this print media should represent.
Media here, understood to embrace, print, TV, radio, online and social, (Facebook, Twitter and others). All have their role representing their individual problems and usefulness.
Media Tampering
Dear Mr. Editor,
I must applaud you in your editorial in the June 20 issue. It was definitely one of your better pieces. It has resurfaced a very important issue media muzzling.
We are supposed to be living in a free and democratic society. To further emphasize the issues raised in the editorial, it is quite evident that the government has embarked on a quest to control a particular media, indicative of its attempt to reduce the nation to socialist rule. I am not saying that this country has had socialist government but one of the undeniable traits of the socialist system is media control. It is within the rights of the people of any country to be informed of the truth pertaining to any subject of interest to the people. Information should be related in a concise and timely manner. It is ludicrous for any government to censor or withhold any print or broadcast until they have had time to rebut even to decide when certain clips are to be aired is unconscionable. Hearing the truth after the fact or to have its timely revelation tampered with is in itself a distortion of the truth. If any government is in itself a distortion of the truth. If any government is allowed to perpetrate such an act, they can prevent justice itself. It is the responsibility of the media to ensure that information which passes through them is neither libelous or scandalous nor would constitute deformation of character. They have a duty to ensure that the information is accurate and only if such not the cases hold they not relay it. In fact the media’s responsibility goes a step further and that is to seek the truth at all times. Evil can only thrive if we people sit back and allow do nothing. Those who see wrong being done and neither say nor act upon it contributes to it and can be deemed just as guilty as the perpetrator/s.
MEDIA TAMPERING SHOULD NOT BE TOLERATED. The media is a system put in place to serve us the people regardless to whether it is government owned. We have not given them the authority to dictate what we should or should not hear, through the media, or when we should hear it. To borrow the format and phrases of just wondering – just wondering why Mr. Chedmon Browne’s very interested and enlightening radio programme was abruptly yanked from the airwaves a few years back. Just wondering why calypsos with a particular flavor are not aired during and immediately after general elections. Just wondering if it is true that before any information of a political nature is broadcast, it has to be first sanctioned by the governing body of the day. Past governments have been perceived to be guilty of media control. Should we expect to see this continue for present and future governments? This has got to stop now. I don’t always agree with your views but you have hit the nail on the head.
Still confused
