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A 65-year-old man tragically drowned in Tobago this morning. Mr Live Wire knows what you’re thinking: What did his corpse look like and was he any good at his day job?
You weren’t thinking that at all? Well, TV6 surely was.
And so a married father of four who held three Ministerial portfolios and had enough university degrees to make Suruj Rambachan drool was reduced to a looped video of a motionless body in a red trunks—thankfully, it was not yellow—and childishly superficial narrated analysis of his time as National Security Minister.
(Courtesy Gov.tt)
At a time when Martin Joseph’s family and loved ones are grieving his loss and his eight-year-old daughter is getting a heartbreaking lesson in mortality, TV6’s viewer question was: “Do you think Martin Joseph was a better National Security Minister?”
Four years and four National Security Ministers have passed since Joseph last held that post. Is now really the time for his job appraisal TV6? Does incumbent Gary Griffith not have enough problems with dead bodies without TV6 chucking him into a popularity contest with one?
Wouldn’t the public need more information than Joseph’s peak murder rate tally and the fact that Jack Warner once gave him a red card to cast their vote? Will TV6 use the money raised from the call-in to open an ethics class for journalism students?
In case you are wondering, 88 percent of voters declared that Joseph was indeed a better National Security Minister. But then maybe they thought TV6 Head of News Dominic Kalipersad intended to somehow resurrect Joseph and stick him back in the hot seat.
Is there any other scenario where their question might have made sense?
We can handle stupid questions though. The broadcasting of dead bodies during dinner is something else entirely.
Does the media leave anything for the imagination anymore? If Kalipersad has a haemorrhoid and someone asked how he was doing, would he drop his pants?
TMI, TV6. Anymore of this and the company’s logo might as well be a corbeaux.
It has been a year and a half already Kalipersad, please let it go. You know what I mean. Park up the tabanca on Ariapita Avenue and let the police tow it.
Nothing lasts forever. We all have to cut our losses sometimes and recognise that it is better to have loved and lost than to have never experienced it in the first place.
Take Robin Thicke’s “Get her back” off your playlist and put in Cee-Lo or Taylor Swift instead.
No matter how many dead bodies you show, TV6. Ian Alleyne ent coming back.
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With what man Kevin Joseph?
media ever think of families waking up in the morning and be greeted with
morbid scenes of loved ones?
C News Live has yet another picture of a corpse, this time a shooting victim.
I think the government needs to be lobbied to pass legislation regulating the depiction of dead bodies in the media.
Liburd you have something with this man boi…….
is this the same daryl heeralal that got fired form WIN for racist remarks on facebook?
Ok Darryl Heeralal. Well, we all have our roles I guess. I won’t be waiting on them at all. But it obviously helps if they do something.
Lasana Liburd they do matter and do have clout. Just recently TTPBA flexed its muscles and got media houses to stop running certain ads. So I disagree with your position that they do not matter. At the least the TTPBA has clout and TATT has statutory power
Let’s not pretend those organisations matter anymore Darryl Heeralal. Let’s just ask Trinidad and Tobago citizens to start policing themselves and demanding better for themselves.
Time to stop waiting on the watchdogs to step in. It isn’t going to happen.
Lasana Liburd this is where the TTPBA, TATT and MATT must collaborate to set standards and the public must demand respect. But not only that members of the same public must share that same responsibility when they act as “citizen journalists” and posts similar images on social media.
His next of kin should seek legal counsel regarding the media handling of this tragic story. The media needs to put in check immediately. However, I was wondering, could this type of media behavior attributed to the Ian Alleyne show in which this (repeated showing and handling of corpses) is done regularly?
hmm in T&T the meida is either always “in danger of losing free speech ” or ” having too much freedom to do whatever they like”….
Renz Pee, I have written on Ian Alleyne on more than a handful of occasions.
In Trinidad our neocolonial class system is extended even onto death.
The level of “respect” paid by the media to human corpses depends directly on the socio-economic status of the deceased!
But I’ve seen a severed head on the front page of Trinidadian newspapers
It was very distasteful of TV6 and they should be given THE CORBEAUX AWARD!!!
Thanks Amanda Aguilera Lobin. And I had actually started to include the “Last Dip” headline in the piece too… But I eventually gave it a pass as the tone of article and photos used were much better than what TV6 came up with.
TV6 clearly never considered that this is a real person with family and loved ones. It was just a dead former minister to them. No humanity whatsoever in their coverage.
Great analysis Lasana Liburd. While watching the news last night I couldn’t help but wonder what was their fascination with Mr Joseph AFTER he died! Their question was quite possibly the dumbest question they ever asked! I mean, so what if he was a better National Security minister, what good is it now? They showed no respect to his grieving family and loved ones. Smh.
The problem though does not lie exclusively with the media eh.
They only sell what they know the consumer buys.
I think maybe the consumer’s tastes need yo be elevated, but sadly the media might be in the best position to influence that!
Oh God we dead!
Well said Lasana Liburd
The media has always been direspectful and insensitive to people’s grief. This is not something new. In this instance, it is worse because the deceased was a prominent person. I am indeed disappointed to see TV6 politicising Mr. Joseph’s death, not only on last night’s news but this morning on Morning Edition with Fazeer Mohammed. I mean really, the man has served this country for so many years and the only question TV6 could ask viewers is whether he was a successful Minister of National Security! Imagine how his grieving family must be feeling! The old people used to say you shouldn’t speak bad of the dead and it’s true. Highlight Mr. Joseph’s good deeds as an act of gratitude for his brave contribution to this country. Shame on you, TV6!!!
This behavior is in keeping with the current trend- no respect for human lives
Joel Primus, you have preached brother.
Main stream media for the 30 years
I think I dreamt of a body on a beach. A lifeless man, once big & strong, educated & loved, loud & Life full, now reduced to a lifeless body on a beach.
Who did this to him? Who among us wants a life, (any life for that matter) so vibrantly lived, given to bursts of charm, anger, real emotion..to be seen by anyone glancing to look, lying pitifully alone on a beach?
Whom among us thinks ones loved ones, ones friends & yes, naturally, foes..wants to pick apart this image over & over again?
Lasana Liburd’s post must be read out loud.To each other.This excellent write must be discussed & digested, & yes, we should vomit it up all the disgusting display of human less ness…no more!
We will not be Ian Alleyne ‘wanna sees’ this year, 2015.
We will be dignified & respectful or at least, we should die trying.
Wired868 !! Great story Trinibago needs more critical thinkers writing innovative stories like this , human society an everything it touches should be looked @ from the point of view of this story keep going wired868
No, it’s not just because he’s a minister.
http://wired868.com/2012/04/03/crime-watch-takes-another-victim/
Well like me and you have the same flow of thoughts….
Percentages are relative…88% of the 11 people that called in? So pathetic. I chose specifically not to watch news last night and I definitely do not regret that decision.
TV6 seem to be still stuck in Xmas holiday mode…..no class.
Oh gosh tv6 let the man rest in peace
Truly pathetic tv6. Amateur hour at best.
Shameful conduct
And on the subject of corbeaux, they can print/state the names of alleged thieves and murderers, but not those of rapists and child molesters. You do the Math. SMH
In the case of the rapists and child molesters , the names are withheld Firstly to prevent the identities of the victims and to ensure that the prosecution’s case cannot be deemed prejudiced .
So alleged murderers don’t deserve the same lack of perceived prejudice? And if you name the rapist, the victim is automatically known?
While I understand victim psychology personally, victims still have to give statements ad nauseum, are subjected to violating medical examinations, and have to testify in court unless they’re a minor…. so I personally don’t agree with any of the above. let these rapists suffer the violation and embarrassment from arrest, the same way victims suffer from beginning to end!
And the public has a right to know who potential threats are. If rapists identities are held then how will we know who they are? There should be a public registry available via internet as well….
Is the outrage because he’s a former minister? I don’t seem to hear the noise when the dead are disrespected daily by all stations and newspapers.
http://wired868.com/2012/04/03/crime-watch-takes-another-victim/
but you are correct. tv6 is just beyond it now yes.. wild wild west
you must beat up whenever you see Master Ian Alleyne performing for the cameras then? i’ve seen more of accident and emergency protocol than i cared to see via one video that was a shocking look at our healthcare, fire services and police service in ONE fell swoop… just the fact that Ian alleyne was standing next to the EMT as he worked on a body.. amazing.. then today i had the misfortune to see the body in graphic detail off the slain 22 year old burger vendor… smh
Another good piece Lasana Liburd… I would be blunt that i have no expectations of the many reporting houses in this Country. I recognize few as actual Journalist. What I have found is that our Country is on an overall decline and all time low from the highest office to the most ordinary of citizen. We also living up to our truest mentality of the 4th World people, we have no value or respect for human life and in particular those who offer of their time and years to serve this nation. TV6 like the others are focus on the mighty dollars, make a former PNM leaders look like the worst chances are we get loads of Government ads General Elections coming especially when most in the Government viewed you as anti-government for the most part of 4 years even though several hires into the government post the 2010 Elections are employed with the Government. IF we as a people are serious about doing some thng about anything on any of the issues in Trinidad and Tobago then we must take action. I never watch CNMG since SOE, I stop purchasing and reading Newsday long time. Well I also don’t listen to no talk programs as most host and moderators are uninformed for starters. We should have long stop watching crime watch and supporting that programme, a complete exploitation of the poor which the poor themselves yet to recognize. Man let me stay quiet eh.
Again Lasana Liburd you hit the well placed nail on its head.
I thought the People meter question was such a dumb one. Better National Security Minister than whom? And 88% answered yes. To what? While i agree it’s news seeing his dead body once was bad enough during dinner but repeatedly like a CNN breaking news was a little too much plus i found his body was handled like if it was a dead dog they were wrapping up in a sheet. Disrespect all round.
It isn’t Darryl. I’ve been consistent in criticising this too. It is not just about the office of the man. The most relevant thing is he has a family that deserves some respect and courtesy in a tough time.
Must say i was saddened to hear the news of Mr Joseph’s drowning and equally astonished at TV6’s dumb question. My Family and i were baffled as we were wondering who they were comparing him with and then why show his dead body which i thought was handled with such callousness by those around him and then to add insult to injury show it multiple times. It was total disrespect all round.
Let me put on record I have always been against this. But within the argument there is a double standard. The discussion becomes important when people of certain ilk die and most seem to lose
their voice when for eg bodies in the morgue are shown daily on some stations etc. Again let me say I have always abhorred the practice myself but what must be good for the goose must be good for the gander. For eg why is Kemraj Seerattan any different from Mr Joseph in this debate.
TV6 has lost their ways for years!! There is no justification for what they did!!
Hmm on the ending.. tasteless as usual.
Nothing’s sacred when you have shareholders, I suppose. They should hang their heads in shame. I wonder if they would have done the same if it was one of their directors.
I didn’t see it but they are just awful to do that.
They are heartless and indecent! That man was my personal friend! Perfect analysis Lasana.
The photo is the former Commandant of the Trinidad and Tobago Cadet Force, not Coast Guard. If you’re going to diss someone, you need to get EVERYTHING you say straight!
We make mistakes too. When we do, we admit them and try to correct the error immediately. Thanks for pointing it out.
My sentiments exactly. What an asinine people meter question.