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“President [Anthony] Carmona appears out of touch with the urgent demands for accountability in 21st century Caribbean reporting and journalism.”
The following is a release from the Media Association of Trinidad and Tobago (MATT) in response to President Anthony Carmona’s Republic Day message:
(Courtesy whensteeltalks.com)
His Excellency Anthony Thomas Aquinas Carmona SC is wrong to use his Republic Day message to deflect legitimate questions raised in the media about the use of public funds by President’s House.
Rather than demonstrating his commitment to transparency and accountability, President Carmona regretfully chose to smear the work of journalists seeking to hold public officials to account.
Press freedom is a distinct right enshrined in the Republican Constitution and all citizens have a right to freedom of expression. These rights do not exclude social media commentators.
In Trinidad and Tobago, no public officer is spared valid, persistent questions and commentary about how they use the offices to which they have been elected or selected. The era of not questioning high office holders has ended; all must account.
It is responsible journalism that motivates reporters to try unsuccessfully and in different ways to get responses to public issues from President Carmona and his office. Instead of a measured response to accumulating queries, the President yesterday opted to attack the noble profession and its more irreverent online practitioners.
The digital information age is characterised by diverse voices expressing opinions on myriad platforms that communicate quickly to large audiences. Recent trends in journalism worldwide have seen stories breaking online. New media’s contribution to how we gather, report and produce information is the way of the present and future.
President Carmona appears out of touch with the urgent demands for accountability in 21st century Caribbean reporting and journalism.
Further, it is an affront to journalists nationwide to hold up the names of some of our distinguished colleagues to obfuscate and launch personal attacks against the daughters, sons and apprentices of Owen Baptiste, John Babb, and the late George John and Therese Mills.
We are sure that they, like us, would vehemently oppose the President Carmona’s expansive effort to shoot the messengers while ignoring legitimate public interest questions.
(Copyright News.gov.tt)
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The Media Association of Trinidad and Tobago is the authorised representative body for local journalists in all formats.
Coincidence?
What allyuh doh want to admit is that his behavior is in keeping with the pervasive belief system ingrained in TT politics that public funds/property are the same as personal and publuc officials can do whatever he/she wants with them…. most of them on either side of the House are of the same mentality…is just that his outrage at being challenged is most egregious…
Even in this modern times,there are laws for Kings AND com moners. Decide which one are you. I have mauby money thus sparkling marby is not my acquired taste. One must appreciate that it is innate in man to forget where their genesis lies,when tax payers must know their place and contribute to the heiarchy’s purse and waste of resources. I am not for or against the no.1 nor no.2 citizens,lest I fall victim of the sedition act” ah fraid Carl”. The no1 citizen can not be criticised as he is immortal, so people leave it alone and move on.
Allyuh, remember when he was sworn in he say he have powers that you don’t know he have. Doh beat up.
Matt go get bac to being in front of a door, thats where u belong.
This is the best President this country has had, he and his family represents the true Racial mix of Trinidad and Tobago, he’s a very educated man, well spoken with class and culture, but the witch hunt is on to remove him…mainly because he’s a Gentleman with Charisma, and not a person form the gutter, so I say Mr President you do your job and the truth will set you apart form the rest, God bless him and his family.
Yeh president is a lap dog for Kamlier
So many supporters of wrong doers .. but then again .. this is a democratic country
Really there is jest two options open up to you Mr. President. (A) Show transparency by divulging how those invisible sums of taxpayers money were spent and the case of the “sparkling wine” or (B) Choose to ignore and remain the tabloids’ top story for a good length of time. The choice is yours,my Laud!
You know, this is where a good PR person could make money. But instead of commending ordinary citizens for listening to him (anybody care to recall his speeches?) by holding our office holders to a high level of accountability and transparency, he decides to attack the messenger. Smh. Keep in mind, with everything that is coming to light, this same office cancelled christmas party/ies for children last year to ‘cut costs’. Anybody recall that? So, again, I am asking if we can please be advised of what official functions were hosted by the office holder in the past year.
You know that’s true, where is the President’s press secretary?
He is Crass, plain talk!
This is the first president that is not fraid to open his mouth and speak,some of u will never understand that statement he made is because some of u have very small mind.
very true….there seems to be a plot to sabotage him
Carmona’s speech was Friday, how did MATT respond so quickly, dey had ah river lime Saturday oh what?
Lol. So MATT can’t enjoy Republic Day too? It was a good release man. You’ve got to admit that. 🙂
And wasn’t the speech yesterday though?
All the days starting to merge, I can’t keep up.
Haha
By the way, how dey characterizing my girl as an irreverent social media practitioner?
I doh know how I feel about that!
Vernal, that’s a really good question. Would the sentence have been any less effective with out that tendentious “more irreverent” adjective?
Can it be that all journalists are equal but some non-online ones are more equal that others?
You can be sure the Eternal Pantomime will have something to say about that adjective. Let’s wait for it.
Hahahaha. They were more gushing about Ian Alleyne eh?! Actually, I wasn’t sure if I passed in the rush dey too. But “Mr Live Wire” can live with that tag. 🙂
Nah …. ah doh like how dey move dey.
Lol
The coining of less than flattering monikers should be reserved for the likes of irreverent social media practitioners.
Is anything worse than being called a traditional media practitioner though? (Or at least what that is now believed to mean).
I say Rhoda can count her blessings. Lol.
Seriously though, I get your point although I chose not to believe that it was an intentional slight.
I find it was really well written. Unfortunately though because the president believes he pisses perfume and farts fabreeze, this will all go over his halo. Is Thomas Aquinas we talking bout. The irony of his belief that we plebs can’t question him about his wine while he could preach to us about rumshop logic is totally lost on him. So fed up of this blubbering panty man. Sorry for his teenage children though.
Vernal I think “irreverent” must be a euphemism for “badass”?. I don’t think it was a mean word in the context.
I’d like to think so as well.
I not assuming anything nah! LOL
Haha! Cause you badass too? Or irreverent ??
Hahaha. I’m trying to work out which Rose! 🙂
Who you calling irrelevant?
….. orrrrr …. irreverent?
Sorry, sorry, sorry! LOL
Hahaha
I could see the Wired headline already: “Carmona be-moaner: President Royally dresses down Frist Citizens on Republic Day”…
She would have won points but the way she conducted herself makes me think that even Rachel Price who isn’t a lecturer is better!!!
There is now every chance that, as February 2017 approaches and the axe nears the nape of his neck, Carmona’s bills will go up. Astronomically if not exponentially. As one commentator on the radio put it unwittingly the other day, after September 2015, it’s not “unpresidented.”
Hahaha. That’s brilliant. I’m bound to use that one at some point!
Mr outta time
Powers is a desecrater of the highest other
Is that how a university lecturer is supposed to conduct themselves?
If you ask me who is the person behaving badly here, I won’t go with the university lecturer…
Yea and u are the perfect example!!!!
Hahaha. I can live with that Mohendra. Trust me.
I know that’s what leeches do!!!
Hide from the daylight
Sigh. Note to self. Don’t respond to voices from under bridges…
Lol u just did tho!!!
I did indeed. We agree on that. But I won’t repeat the error. Have a good night fellah. 😉
Hey just know that we have a right to disagree and call it as we think as well as u guys do
U too fella
Mohendra Sanjai Ramroop how did “the university lecturer” conduct herself??? For you to assume that, “the university lecturer” is wrong, or at fault, says you are okay with there being corruption in the highest office of the land. Thus, no one can take anything you say, from this point forward, seriously.Mohendra Sanjai Ramroop
Same thing to u too but I dont have to use expletives to describe the highest office holder in the land
I really don’t care if anyone takes me seriously. I have nothing to prove to anyone. But I have a right like everyone else to freely state my opinions wrong or right etc. Just more respectfully than the uwi lecturer
Mohendra Sanjai Ramroop how many of the vlogs on this issue, by “the university lecturer,” (since you don’t even know the lecturer’s name), did you watch??? How many “expletives” did “the university lecturer” use to describe the highest office in the land??? Please, whatever it is you are snorting, huffing, swallowing, smoking, and/or injecting, you need to lay off.
Hey u!!! Im pretty sure ur on something cuz u seem a bit paranoid about ur so called uwi lecturer’s image!!! And u can say what u want but I believe we all have a right of free speech, u included but all u can do is the usual gutter type of talk like the style of ur so called uwi lecturer. U seem to know a lot about how to consume and abuse drugs also!!!
Mohendra Sanjai Ramroop you still haven’t answered my questions, yet you chose to deflect. Like I said, lay off the substances, so your thought processes can be unclouded. Until then, you can’t get blood from a stone. Have yourself a goodnight.
Lol I’m sure ur not having such a good one trying to cover up for ur dear uwi lecturer
From the pic posted he probably believe that he is closer to god than us so he doesn’t have to answer squat. He is the annointed one.
Differentiate, sorry
He just seem to be unable to difrenciate between the “Powers he has,from the Powers he thinks he has”…lol
Why didn’t MATT issue a similar statement about “press freedom
and the right of the public to know” when Ian Alleyne was fired for asking legitimate questions about Andrew’s wife??
MATT did…
I said similar statement not statement
Each situation is probably different. But I definitely remember MATT suggesting that Ian Alleyne played an important role and should be encouraged to continue once his work is done properly.
And he actually wasn’t fired for asking legitimate questions. He opened up CNC3 to a lawsuit with a clumsy story and then refused to accept an ultimatum to grant oversight of his program to CNC3 bosses.
Mr Alleyne was asked by his bosses to produce the evidence to support his allegations and he was either unable to or unwilling to produce the proof.
He’s not out of touch,he just fell in line with the modus operandi of the Kamla Persad Bisessar government.
Exactly so.
I fully agree. Jog your memory and recall what was his first public appearance after his swearing-in. On a platform in Laventille, methinks, and not even in the place of honour, which was reserved for PM KPB.
But why does MATT allow for the misreading that Powers was “regretful?” (“Rather than demonstrating his commitment to transparency and accountability, President Carmona regretfully chose to smear the work of journalists seeking to hold public officials to account.”)
I know what the dictionary says about modern usage but I would have opted for the completely unambiguous “regrettably” in this context.
I don’t get your tags in my “pending posts” anymore for some reason
Hmm. Dunno why…
Maybe your tags is only work with people in the “ascendency of the human spirit”
Hahahaha. If you never had a butler, you don’t deserve a tag ole chap…
The God