Stop verbal attacks on media, it is irresponsible!
Published:Saturday | October 12, 2024 | 12:06 AM
THE EDITOR, Madam:
Quite recently, there have been some social media postings criticising The Gleaner newspaper as being aligned to the People’s National Party (PNP) and biased in favour of the party. Let me publicly declare here that that accusation is false, inaccurate and without any form of merit. As a longstanding reader of The Gleaner seven days a week, I must state that the newspaper has been consistently very responsible, professional and fair, and always reported news in a factual manner.
The Gleaner’s editorials are well-reasoned, incisive, thought-provoking, edifying and balanced. These editorials from time to time criticise both the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) and PNP when warranted, and commend both political parties as necessary in the discretion of the newspaper’s editorial writer. I have never found The Gleaner’s editorials to be one-sided, unfair and partisan. The Gleaner has an excellent team of columnists writing on a plethora of topics, which is commendable. The Gleaner has published my letters from time to time, focusing on a plethora of topics and has never sought to censure my writings, which demonstrates that the newspaper is a fully democratic, fair, responsible and open newspaper from an opinion standpoint and from an editorial framework.
Indeed, I have read many letters to the editor criticising the newspaper, yet they are still published, and this demonstrates the vast professional maturity and openness of The Gleaner. Also, I have observed that The Gleaner allows and facilitates and publishes many guest columnists, which prodigiously makes the newspaper an interesting newspaper of high quality, content and interest.
If a newspaper publishes an unfair news report, then the party concerned should send in to the newspaper the error and have it corrected, and it will be. When any political party starts to malign, tarnish and lambast any newspaper labelling them as being aligned to a political party and taking instructions from the party, this is clearly and unambiguously going much too far and this sort of scandalous, disgraceful and unnecessary conduct and behaviour must be brought to an end immediately. Criticise a newspaper, if necessary, needed and warranted, but just do not place the newspaper and its staff in danger by stating, whether publicly at a political party meeting or on social media postings, that the newspaper or radio station is a public relations agency for the PNP or JLP.
There is no radio station or newspaper in Jamaica aligned to any political party. Jamaica is fortunate to have a free press, and this is a huge, positive and enormous accomplishment in every respect. The Press Association of Jamaica is absolutely correct to speak out against the irresponsible conduct of some party political operatives, supporters and hacks who are carelessly and without any merit whatsoever verbally attacking some media organisations as supporting the PNP and JLP. No media organisation should be labelled in such a manner, and, when social media postings and or politicians begin to state journalists’ names in public as biased in favour of a political party, it is placing the journalists’ lives at severe risk. This must stop forthwith.
Let me further state here unequivocally that Power 106 FM has an excellent line-up of daily radio talk shows which widely facilitates discussions on a wide range of topics, and no radio talk show host at that esteemed station is aligned to any political party. The hosts are always balanced, fair, impartial and most responsible whenever they host these outstanding talk shows, and I regularly speak on them on a variety of topics, and I am widely and professionally accommodated. Dervan Malcolm, Simon Crosskill, Dr Gayle and Dr Aaron Dumas deserve to be singled out for public commendations for hosting their highly popular, respected and intrinsically interesting and democratic radio talk shows of impeccable conduct.
As it relates to RJR, another great radio station. Let us all constructively elevate the entire political discourse and speak, comment and write on policies and ideas coming from both political parties, and criticise when needed in a responsible manner. But do not seek to spread propaganda about newspapers and radio stations being public relations arms for the PNP and JLP. Stop it! Let us act as responsible, educated and civilised Jamaicans.
ROBERT DALLEY