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 »Crowne: The problem with the Cybercrime Bill and why journalists are right to be afraid
“The ‘formal’ effect of the provision would seemingly not criminalise investigative journalism, whereas the ‘substantive’ and practical effect would in fact stifle investigative journalism and journalistic independence as a whole. Democratic discourse could be severely trammelled.” Senior lecturer (Mona) and barrister Dr Emir Crowne, BA, LLB, LLM, LLM, PhD, LEC, …
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 »Law Association defends Justice Seepersad against political bias allegations, scolds media
“We urge the Registry to take steps to ensure that any such suspected attempts at forum shopping are immediately brought to the attention of the judiciary so that remedial action can be taken. “We ask the print media to be mindful that blindly repeating what is being peddled on social …
Read More »Hijabbing still?! Liburd looks at Baldeosingh, religion, the Guardian and the hijab
In the year of our Lord 2017, when we routinely hand money to indiscernible faces behind tinted windows—at places ranging from the gas station to a government office—spend thousands in online transactions with no personal interaction whatsoever or troubleshoot complex issues over the phone with people we will never meet; …
Read More »Hijabonomics explained: Baldeosingh responds to column that saw him axed by Guardian
“The entire column makes the point that, rather than being a symbol of repression, Muslim women who choose to wear the hijab do so for cogent and rational reasons. It appears that Mr Umar Abdullah either does not understand this, or is pretending to not understand it.” The following is …
Read More »MEDIA MONITOR: Radio and TV in T&T; not voice and vision but vice and division
“You know how many programmes I could buy for $100,000?” The speaker is the programme director at a local television channel. He is responding—with a straight face, I am told—to a suggestion by a group of excited young men smitten with the television bug and naïve—or rash—enough to think that …
Read More »We like it so! Farrell points to corruption and bias in T&T Media but also successes
“The Media, at least the traditional mainstream part of it, is not a clear glass window, giving an unobstructed view into the society; it is rather, a lens. It can serve to focus and direct public attention to specific areas of national life and equally, to obscure or obfuscate other …
Read More »In the media too, we like it so! Farrell suggests why media is less trusted than police
“It is often the case though that persons in leadership positions disclaim accountability and responsibility: the school Principal claims she can’t lead her school because it is ‘really the Ministry’ who is in charge; the Public Service Commission claims it can’t do anything, because it is ‘really the Director of …
Read More »MATT concerned by Faris’ “worrisome” Cybercrime Bill; potential to criminalise journalists
“MATT remains deeply troubled that the Cybercrime Bill has retained its potential to criminalise professional journalists working in the public interest. “While MATT follows the argument that the redrafted Clause 8 of the Cybercrime Bill introduces layers of proof—intentionally, without lawful excuse, justification—to be satisfied by a complainant in order …
Read More »MEDIA MONITOR: Trinidad Express shoots itself in the foot; sister station also hurt
POW! POW! POW! Fans of Chinese food could be forgiven for licking their lips on the morning of Tuesday 4 April. Who really could imagine, before seeing the ‘Three shot dead in Port of Spain’ drop head, that the Express’ front page headline referred not to the steamed or fried …
Read More »Pen in school, Minister Garcia? Best honours brother who fathered the writer in him
I couldn’t believe my ears. Had the radio just said that the Minister of Education was planning to start instruction in panmanship in the nation’s schools? Had someone finally seen the light after all these years, just as the Lloyd Best Institute of the West Indies was launching a week-long …
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