WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO OUR PRESS SINCE 2001/ 2002?

THE EDITOR: When Patrick Manning has to take time out from a PNM birthday jamboree to castigate the press in no uncertain terms for  what can only be interpreted as unwarranted flights of fancy at worst or (deliberate?) misinterpretation of his statements at best, it becomes a matter of urgency to me personally. Like many other citizens I rely on the “fourth estate” for  accurate reporting of events in my country.  It is upon these reports, like most others no doubt,  that my personal political opinion is largely based. Since the end of 2001 and throughout 2002, even into 2003, we were treated to daily snippets of information by the press (most of it gleaned from the PNM) about the corruption endemic in the UNC, the accuracy of none of which was challenged by the PNM. 

We had young ladies publicly paraded in manacles to face charges of voter padding (all aimed at the UNC) not one of whom has received a fair hearing in a court of law to date.  Likewise, charges bandied around by the press before the EBC Enquiry could not stand the light of day and we are yet to hear the outcome of the Commissioner’s appeal against that Report, to the best of my knowledge. It should be  noted that it was largely upon the strength of the rumours referred to above that the public accepted the President’s Solomonic decision of 24/12/01 with barely a murmur —  “morality, spirituality  and the rule of law” all clearly seemed breached by the charges levelled by an accommodating press and gleaned, no doubt, from the PNM;  thus necessitating no further explanation from the President. In fact, his choice of phrase only strengthened, even cemented,  the charges in the public mind. Subsequently, the Nation was treated via the media  to personal/confidential information on Mrs Panday’s financial matters in a London bank no less, with no official censure of either the Integrity commission or media for breach of confidentiality or invasion of privacy. There appears to be no undue hurry to have this matter finalised either. On the subject of integrity, I cannot help but note that at least PM Panday completed the Integrity forms. 

At this late date, can the PM and other PNM Ministers guarantee the accuracy of the information they will be providing when, and if, they get around to completing said forms?  I digress, however. Where have all those reputable and reliable journalists gone to all of a sudden?  Have they too emigrated, like so many of the business community, out of fear of a non existent crime/kidnap crisis, or are they also suffering “slips” of the mind and forgetting half of what is going on or been told to them?  One thing is certain, they are no longer Patrick Manning’s best friend.   Freedom of the press is generally one of the first bastions to be attacked in a slide into a dictatorship.   After that it is generally plain sailing for the would be dictator. That is why the press jealously guard their freedom — and I am sure that Mr Manning has not had the last word on this issue

VIRGINIA VERITY
Port-of-Spain