Desmond AllenTHE OFFICE of Public Affairs of the United States Embassy pulled out a Jamaican who-is-who list to watch the Presidential Elections November 7 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. Signifi-cantly, the media fraternity was well represented, and rightly so I thought, because the US elections were a celebration of media technology and showmanship. But the significance went far beyond that.
All the journalists, as well as the other guests, joined in the fun of choosing one candidate over another, using mock ballots. Listen, I'm not lying to you: nobody got vexed with anybody else; nobody quarrelled with anybody else about his or her choice; everybody wore Gore and Bush pins or both together, chatted, joked, ate and drank together. And it suddenly hit me when Rohan Powell, the young HOT-102 FM reporter said good-naturedly: "At least, here I can tell you who I am voting for without fear!"
I had a flashback to my early youth when the people of my district animatedly discussed party politics, disagreed vigorously, argued vociferously over which party's policies were better, but never, repeat never, exchanged one physical blow, maliced any one or threatened any one. The U.S. elections really brought a nice, liberating, civilised feeling, even if no president was elected that night.
If you doubt what I am saying ask Beverley Manley; Wyvolyn Gager; Wilton Dyer; Maxwell Wynter; Cliff Hughes; Hugh Crosskill; Godfrey Dyer, Lloyd B. Smith; Owen James; Winston Witter; Dawn Johnson; Arthur Hall; Horace Helps; Durrant Pate; Loui Davis and Rudolph Brown who were among the media persons there.
Corruption and the journalist
The Government has backed off the clause in the anti-corruption bill which the media found offensive. Clearly, the administration has conceded that the issue was not worth a protracted fight with the media or the tarnishing of its reputation as being very pro-press freedom. But while we celebrate, I hope the colleagues will understand that the issue is not by any means at an end.
There is a constituency of people called public officials who have a right, as any other citizens, to their privacy, as long as they remain law-abiding people. No journalist has the right to invade this privacy. For my sins, I happen to be both a journalist and a public official and that has helped me to see the issue from both sides.
Any journalist who will be tempted to cross the line should consider this sobering thought: one day, you might choose to become a public official, as that is still a noble way to serve your country. Our old people used to say "same knife stick sheep stick goat". Nothing concentrates the mind so wondrously as being put in the shoe of the other person.
Spike readers' comments
Dear Spike, as a journalist, I went to my bed last Monday night disappointed and angry. And it all had to do with the very poor television coverage of the fire at Petrojam. How the blazes (pun intended) could CVM and TVJ failed so miserably to give adequate coverage of this potentially major disaster is beyond me.
During its live telecast of the Doctor Bird Awards, CVM gave us its breaking news on the fire. Milton Walker was on the line trying desperately to extract information from the CCN's Steve Brown. Frustrated, I switched to TVJ and was heartened that Michael Sharpe was reporting live with visuals. But that was short-lived, as they switched back to Yvonne Chin to continue with the rehash of their Prime Time 7:00 o'clock news, which ended with a brief update from Michael.
I had expected both television stations to be covering this potential disaster live until the authorities were able to give an assurance that the people of West Kingston were out of danger. I had expected CVM to pull its outside broadcast crew from the Hilton to give us live coverage from Marcus Garvey Drive.
I had expected TVJ to forego the rehashed newscast and keep us tuned to the inferno at Petrojam. In my estimation, both stations failed to appreciate what is real news. Clinton Pickering, Montego Bay, 940-1045
Dear Spike, Courtney Walsh is on page C9 of The Gleaner today (Nov 6). Shouldn't we have been told the connection is he a director or what? Anthea Williams dawning23@hotmail.com
Dear Spike, it is becoming more frightening. The Sunday Herald in its lead front page story about schools, violence and literacy/illiteracy, attempted to show how violence in inner city schools was affecting learning. Ironically, the headline is "EDUCATION OR SURIVAL". (Do I have to spell out that there is a missing 'V'). I now begin to wonder what is the level of violence in their newsroom.
Also, I find it kinda tacky, that when the late John Jones is about to be buried, The Gleaner and The Observer were still running 'Jesus 2000' ads with his picture. Granted, I can see with the billboards, but the print ads are easily correctable and should have been pointed out by either the 'Jesus 2000' people, the ad agency which placed the ads, or the newspaper themselves. Heaven help us. Loui Davis litework9@hotmail.com
Dear Spike, have you seen the photograph on page 17B of The Observer of November 8 re: the President of the World Bank et al? (photo shows two men in a jet ski having nothing to do with the president of the World Bank). Based on the information do you think maybe I need to check my eye sight? Janet Davis jdavis@jnfpb.org
Dear Desmond, I found dawn Ritch's column "Romance at the traffic lights", page 9A in The Sunday Gleaner, November 5 good reading. It was unusual, different from her usual topics and nicely handled. She certainly deserves a Spike bouquet. Tony Morrison, journalist, Kingston.
Send spikeables to spike@jol.com.jm; desal@cwjamaica.com or fax to 926-0295
