Media slaves to 'opinion journalism'
Published:Tuesday | March 12, 2013 | 12:00 AM
THE EDITOR, Sir:
With regard to Lambert Brown's column 'Law, taxes and bitter medicine' (Sunday Gleaner, March 10, 2013), I suggest to him that the problem stems from media's overdependence on opinion journalism; though we know that for the most part, opinions reflect personal perspectives, not facts.
So, while people are always quick to invoke 'facts' to evidence their opinions, selectivity, for personal reasons, becomes the acceptable rule of engagement.
Consequently, we end up with 'he says/she says' journalism and 'the people' in whose interest the media are expected to operate end up being mired in deception and ignorance, just the way the deliberately forgetful and crazy politicians want it to be.
Journalists need to step up and bring their own reflexive mindset to the process, but, more important, do their own search/investigation.
To defend the rule of law, journalists must go to the law and not what other people say about what is there or not there; extend their memory to the rich tradition of excellent archives in the country, including that of their own media houses; and challenge the opinions being bandied about as conventional wisdom.
PATRICK PRENDERGAST