On Sunday 11 August 2019, The Sunday Express reported that a complaint of verbal abuse and intimidation was made by an unnamed woman police constable (WPC) against Commissioner of Police Gary Griffith to the Police Service Commission (PSC) and Police Complaints Authority (PCA). The article, which was written by investigative …
Read More »Dear Editor: Warning on President’s Image is unconstitutional and threat to freedom of expression
“For the President to issue a Policy that restricts livestreaming, broadcasting and publication of her name and image without permission is a direct threat to freedom of expression and freedom of the press. Unlike those constitutionally entrenched rights, there is no constitutional protection for the President’s name and image.” The …
Read More »Eras in a bun dense: Wednesday’s perfect storm of genuine media howlers
Let us call them simply ‘moments.’ I use the neutral term to refer to those momentous instances when you spot an error that is so glaring that you could not ignore it even if you wanted to. On Wednesday 26 June, I had four such moments, which I should like …
Read More »Office of the President reveals guidelines for use of Weekes’ image without permission
“The Office of the President therefore advises members of the public—inclusive of advertisers, promoters, event organisers, publishers, broadcasters, practitioners and users of traditional and digital media, and all others whose functions may come into contact with the Office and/or person of the President—to refrain from use of the President’s image, …
Read More »Noble: ‘Who let the blogs in?’ The risk of MATT’s Devant defence
The Police’s seizure of Mr Devant Maharaj’s phone in pursuit of information, re the recent credible bomb threat, raises important questions about the evolution of the media and the preservation of press freedom. The importance does not arise merely on the issue of the action taken but we need to …
Read More »Media Monitor: Requiem for the daily departed; Express, Guardian, TV6 flounder in cricket coverage
We have been asked to announce the death of cricket reportage. In this post-Tony-Cozier age of e-literacy when T20 has shifted the focus squarely onto entertainment, its final passing, long in coming, will probably go largely unremarked and certainly unlamented. The only ones crying will be those media owners who …
Read More »Murder she wrote: Mills and Crime; why blame for media coverage should be spread around
The insightful story by Suzanne Mills about her mother’s struggles is useful to highlight how the media wrestles with framing the large issues of life. It raises the issue of how we define who is a good editor. Is the metric the profitability of the media house, or is it …
Read More »Suzanne Mills: Has Newsday’s ghastly crime coverage—pioneered by my mom—helped or hindered fight against crime?
“At around 2 or 3pm, the commencement of crunch time, some editor, perhaps even I, would stick our heads out of our offices and ask, ‘No murders yet?’ […] As the murder toll rose, I asked Therese [Mills], ‘What’s the point of these crime front pages? We’re not making a sliver …
Read More »MATT: Media houses and public must be more aware in these times of disinformation
“Journalists have begun work on the impending local government elections and look ahead to three more in the next three years. “In order to properly serve the public interest in these times, MATT calls on all media houses to assist their journalists by investments in training, equipment, internal policies and …
Read More »FIFA gives ex-Soca Warriors defender, Thomas, and policeman, Murray, life bans for match-fixing
Former Trinidad and Tobago National Senior Team defender Keyeno Thomas and ex-Police FC and San Juan Jabloteh defender Karlon Murray were among eight footballers banned for life today, according to a statement by world governing body, FIFA. Thomas, 41, and Murray, 34, were given the ultimate sanction today by FIFA’s …
Read More »MATT stands ground against Griffith criticism; condemns intimidation of media workers
“MATT condemns any form of intimidation against media workers, whether it be veiled or otherwise…” The following MATT release is in response to a statement by Commissioner of Police Gary Griffith, which criticised MATT Vice-President Joel Julien for the association’s missive on Thursday. The MATT statement criticised police officers for …
Read More »MATT condemns heavy-handed and unprofessional TTPS conduct in raid on Jaagriti station
The Media Association of Trinidad and Tobago (MATT) has received a report about ‘heavy-handed and unprofessional conduct’ of officers from Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) while on duty at Radio and TV Jaagriti. According to the account of the incident available in the public domain and based on the …
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