The journalism profession may be the least introspective of all professions. Arrogance and complacency are occupational hazards, even when cleverly concealed. Journalists ask tough questions of everybody, except themselves. Quick to criticise and lambaste, they bristle when mere mortals 'attack' them, retreating under the barricade of 'press freedom'.

We have just marked another National Journalism Week and, not surprisingly to this journalist, there was just one piece in the press examining our role in society. Some would even see this as a virtue; we are too busy serving the people's interests, holding the politicians' feet to the fire and speaking truth to power to indulge in such narcissistic engagement.

I think that generally the press in Jamaica is discharging its responsibilities well. For one, the Government has few friends and even fewer loyalists among columnists, commentators and talk-show hosts and that's a very good thing. The western press has traditionally had an adversarial role with the State, and while that role does not preclude the press' support for broad national and developmental goals, it must not be in bed with the Government. Government must hire public relations practitioners to do its bedding (oops, bidding!).

Good journalism

What is particularly pleasing about the Jamaican media, especially among opinion writers, commentators and talk-show hosts, is that the rigid partisanship which characterised the 1970s is largely absent today. A columnist like Mark Wignall will write openly of voting for the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) and will say he would do so if elections are called tomorrow, but he can still write the most strident articles attacking Bruce Golding. His support for the JLP does not prevent him from surgically tearing it apart when he perceives it is doing madness. No blind fanaticism there. That's good journalism.

Wilmot Perkins is clearly right-wing and has absolutely no use for the People's National Party's (PNP) progressive agenda or its progressive president, but he is perhaps Golding's fiercest and most consistent critic these days. I can't imagine Perkins not giving the JLP his vote and I would absolutely rule out his voting for the PNP, but that does not keep him from ridiculing Golding and lashing his government's performance every day he is on air. No fanatical JLP supporter is he.

Rational and even-handed

Of course, space and opportunity can be created for partisans to have their voice in media and in the United States (US) media that is commonly done. The Gleaner at one time gave JLP Member of Parliament Delroy Chuck a column. Media can accommodate that kind of clearly identified partisans - once they are evenly distributed - but I much prefer the fair-minded, rational and even-handed columnist/commentator. Media must make way for all views to be represented and the parties represent significant constituencies so they should be represented.

Newstalk 93's Breakfast Club has done an excellent thing: It has as regular hosts two bright sparks in the main political parties, the JLP's G2K President Delano Seiveright and the PNP's Raymond Pryce. What is admirable about these two young men is that they are not obnoxious, or gratingly partisan. They conduct interviews in a professional and respectful way and make comments which are by no means blatantly partisan. If you did not know that they are hard-core party activists, their conduct on the programme would not give them away. In fact, some in media who are not party activists are more transparent as vulgar partisans.

Breakfast Club is one forum in media that has never received its due recognition from our fraternity. In my view, a special award should be given to the Breakfast Club for its high level of journalistic performance since its inception years ago. It broke the insularity in Jamaican media by introducing its listeners to reputable international scholars and experts in a variety of fields, particularly to discuss international affairs and international economic issues. This is an important contribution to local discourse and should not go unrecognised.

Even-handedness

Besides, it has been known for its even-handedness, fairness, balance and, very importantly in our small society, its courage to critique not just politicians, but big business people, when others are afraid to do so. Tony Abrahams, who has gone from the programme much too long, is afraid of no Mr Big Man, no matter his name or citadel of power. This journalistic guts must be rewarded, especially in our journalistic context where we journalists have a lot of mouth for politicians, but not for the big capitalists.

Critically, too, Newstalk must be commended for providing space to 'outcasts' such as Ragashanti, the voice of a lot of people in this country, whether we want to acknowledge it or not. We might disagree with a number of things Raga does, but he is giving voice to a generally voiceless group which is despised and scorned in this country.

I am not giving any blanket endorsement to Raga (I am criticised every day on the show), but I am standing up for his right to freedom of expression and I am saluting Newstalk 93 for giving him air-time, while it adheres to the reasonable standards of the Broadcasting Commission. Big up the tambourine people!

And at a time when both the PNP and the JLP are basically following the same neo-liberal capitalist path, and when views on the economy are largely variations on the same theme, Newstalk93 has an old-style Marxist, Lloyd D'Aguliar, who is hosting its evening show on some days and is the man behind, 'Looking Back, Looking Forward', the two-hour retrospective Sunday morning show, which I listen to consistently. Lloyd is pushing views straight out of the Communist Manifesto and is often unfair in his comments.

Newstalk gives him the freedom to push his communist views and to attack both PNP and JLP. That's good. Everybody must have a voice.

We attack our government with force and ferociousness and they don't do one damn thing about it. Bruce Golding is at heart a democrat. My association with him indicates that he is not thin-skinned. The Western middle-class values of democracy, intellectual contention, debate and respect for dissent are deeply ingrained in him. But even if he were not like that, our role as journalists is not to acquiesce to his whims or to bow to his desires. The watchdog role must be maintained.

And the journalistic team which has been significant beneficiaries of Golding's goodwill , the Nationwide Group, continues to prove that Government facilitation does not equal subservience. Cliff Hughes is the newsman's newsman. He is the finest newsman among us and a world-class journalist. He would excel in the most competitive media market anywhere in the world. In news, he is our Usain Bolt. We should not envy Cliff Hughes, colleagues. We should admire him; for his unsurpassed news sense, his commanding interviewing skills, the fire in his stomach, his unflagging commitment to 'the story'.

Shortcomings

Yes, he has his shortcomings; a sometimes out-of-control temper, occasionally unjustifiable belligerence and unprofessional on-air behaviour, insensitivity and bad judgement. He's human and flawed. But he has a devotion to ferreting out truth and an ego strong enough to always want to do his best. Let not Golding or Babsy Grange feel that because they have granted him a lifeline that their political lives are safe in his hands!

At the RJR Communications Group, Earl Moxam has carved out his niche as our finest historical journalist and our in-depth, behind-the-story journalist par excellence. Earl hates superficiality. He is obsessed with both accuracy and breadth. And at the RJR Group, you can't find a more fair-minded, independent, level-headed and non-partisan journalist than Dionne Jackson-Miller.

Her competitor at CVM, Garfield Burford, is one of our most promising young journalists. He has the passion, the competitive drive, the relentless urge to do well. And he does. He asks good questions and gets the best guests.

At The Gleaner, Arthur Hall as reporter is formidable, knows the political beat and is one heck of a courageous journalist. At off-the-record briefings with Golding he will ask the boldest questions. Younger journalists should be at his feet daily.

I believe my colleague columnists do an excellent job in critiquing the two political parties (and Martin Henry has really become quite sharp in critiquing the Government). Perhaps nobody works harder on his columns than Robert Buddan and he is always well-researched. But his work is marred by his devotion to the PNP and his apparent inability to find a good word for the JLP.

In that regard, I give a public word of caution to my number-one journalist in terms of serious economic research, Ralston Hyman. Ralston is the standard in terms of in-depth business journalism and respect for scholarship. There has never been a more well-researched, well-informed economics journalist in this country. But he must be careful that his aversion to Audley Shaw and his love for Omar Davies do not totally destroy his credibility. You are too good, Ralston, to lose your balance. In terms of bold, investigative journalism, Durrant Pate at the Sunday Herald is king.

Icons

In the Observer, I cannot miss reading Claude Robinson and John Maxwell, icons of serious, cosmopolitan, intellectual journalism. And Claude is a model of balance. Another fine example of cosmopolitanism and intellectual rigour, combined with strong interviewing skills, is Carol Narcisse of Nationwide. (Incidentally, I have never seen someone make the learning curve of journalism faster than Nationwide's Elon Parkinson!)

And while we are on the matter of depth, Power 106's Ronnie Thwaites is not surpassed in terms of intellectual sophistication, philosophical depth and interviewing skills in Jamaican media.

But my Journalist of the Year is Emily Crooks. With the Hughes journalistic DNA in her, she is a news bloodhound, fierce, unrelenting, passionate, and devastating to all pretenders. She's a powerhouse of a journalist and fearlessness incarnated. With media people like these, no political party is safe. Thank God.

Ian Boyne is a veteran journalist who may be reached at ianboyne1@yahoo.com or columns@gleanerjm.com.