“Aside from wondering if he is pursuing legal action as the CJ or as Ivor Archie in a personal capacity, I wonder who will be footing the bill? “And I have to wonder if the CJ is really that obtuse? […] It is not simply the one issue of whether …
Read More »White tyrants, black struggles and Indian distortions; Dr Fergus responds to Hanomansingh
“The great Karl Marx, for example, declared the Haitian Revolution ‘the most significant victory toward the advancement of universal freedom’. Without excluding the contribution of every ethnic constituency, the fact remains that, in the 20th century, African peoples maintained that leadership role. “According to [Dool] Hanomansingh and other like-minded activists, to include …
Read More »Dear Editor: Authoritarian or authoritative? Are calypsoes more poetry than reliable history?
“Sparrow literally put words in Dr Williams’ mouth to great effect. “Since Dr Bird—thankfully!—is still alive, I am sure that he would be eager to tell journalists/researchers what statements in his calypso ‘Get to hell outta here’ and, for that matter, his other calypsoes were historically accurate and where he simply used …
Read More »Media Monitor: T&T reacts to Rowley’s offer; a soulless nation or asshole people?
If you are a TV6 regular and you’re like me, you may have noticed two striking things on the number one television channel this week. The second, occurring on Thursday night, had to do with the results of the daily poll and told me something about me and the country …
Read More »Media Monitor: Mistake jokes? Different folks, different strokes…
You pick up your Thursday Express and begin reading, as so many do, from the back. There’s a bold two-word headline reflecting the presumed attitude of the West Indies cricketers who just lost the First Test in England to two men. And below it, seven more words. With an error. …
Read More »Media Monitor: NeRowley dazzles while seabridge burns but Bassant not blinded by BS
And underneath is written, In letters all of gold, How valiantly he kept the bridge In the brave days of old. Take a bow, Mark Bassant. The brazen attempt by Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley to bramble the population into thinking that the bungling government is taking serious action on …
Read More »“Rude Cop” strikes back! Live Wire roasts Express over “lewd” front page
The following is the legally satirical response to the Trinidad Express front page on 7 August 2017, which showed a fully clothed police woman on a couch with her leg raised, under the heading “Rude Cop”: Dear Trinidad Express, I act on behalf of my client, Ms Flexi-Cop—otherwise derogatorily referred to …
Read More »MEDIA MONITOR: Oh mih Guardian! End of buy, buy; start of bye, bye
The end is beginning. Lest you think that I should make myself a proper doomsday THE END IS NIGH placard and go and stand under Cipriani Statue so that my friends can laugh me out of town, let me say that I refer not to the end of the world …
Read More »Media Monitor: Monogamedia and good, bad and radio/TV voices in their glee
It is Thursday evening on TV6; Shonda Rhimes, Viola Davis and Peter Nowal are getting away with murder. So too is Desha Rambhajan. The 7pm news anchor, easy on the ear and on the air, announces to her listenership that a Sangre Grande man has been charged with six offences, …
Read More »MEDIA MONITOR: Sermon on the Mount: Suffer the little black boys…
The Guardian’s Jensen La Vende tried very hard to take the emotion out of his lead story in Wednesday’s paper and make it an inoffensive, completely objective news report that wouldn’t mash nobody corn. And the Express’ Michelle Loubon tried no less hard to avoid using the obvious word. But it was …
Read More »MEDIA MONITOR: Who will safeguard the media vs the Guardian? And the CJ vs the Express?
More or less 20%. That is the share of the newspaper market that the Guardian has enjoyed (if that is the right verb) for several years now. It is also the figure that, according to a former Guardian editor of fairly recent vintage, is more than adequate provided that that …
Read More »MEDIA MONITOR: Property tax and personal positions before patriotism?
I want to begin with a confession: I voted for the PNM in 2015 and would probably, all things being equal, do so again if an election were called tomorrow. But I am NOT “a PNM.” Nor am I anti-PNM. I think of myself as a patriot. I am, however, …
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