Voice separates rich from the poor

A LACK of voice separates the rich from the poor in any society and is the quickest avenue toward corruption. This was the view expressed by University of the West Indies pro-vice chancellor, Dr Bhoe Tewarie, when he spoke at the opening of the Caribbean Media Conference at UWI’s Learning Resource Centre on Monday. Tewarie said while Trinidad and Tobago and many other nations have high levels of press freedom, that “is not prevalent” in several parts of the world.

“What sets the poor apart from the rich is a lack of voice,” he warned. He added that this was often the easiest way for corrupt practices to begin in any society and the media must be vigilant to prevent this from happening. “The power to know is the driving force behind journalism,” he declared. Tewarie challenged local journalists to constantly seek to upgrade their skills and never settle for mediocrity in the performance of their daily duties. He hailed the Commonwealth Journalists Association (CJA) for having the foresight to relocate their headquarters from London to TT and pledged UWI’s support for the development of journalism. The CJA and UWI have signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a School of Journalism at UWI’s St Augustine Campus.