“[Canada Supreme Court Judge] Abella went to great lengths to emphasise the importance of press freedom in her concurring reasons. Her words are worth repeating: A strong, independent and responsible press ensures that the public’s opinions about its democratic choices are based on accurate and reliable information. This is not …
Read More »Demise of the TnT Mirror: Did the new media messenger shoot itself in the foot?
Have you ever heard a piece of news which you had probably anticipated for months but which still shocked you when it did come? For me, that happened just over a week ago with the announcement that the TNT News Centre—publishers of the popular TnT Mirror and Sunday Punch—was closing …
Read More »Dear Editor: “Choko” was a genius, but the TNT Mirror was destroyed by tired, visionless leaders
“To be sure, the Mirror and other Choko newspapers had lost their impact more than a decade ago, because of the absence of leadership, which led to the lack of innovation and creativity even as the digital revolution became all-pervasive. “[…] Choko’s successors—journalists included—did not appreciate that the TNT Mirror, …
Read More »“Media freedom under attack in this country”: MATT condemns TTPS “obstruction” of TV6 journalists
“MATT also notes the apparent attempt made by a member of the public to use their perceived influence to prevent the story—which the crew was in the process of completing—from being aired as a part of the station’s newscast on that day. “[…] MATT has provided details of the incident …
Read More »Gary needs more lightning, less thunder; Demming explains why she would gag CoP
Brace yourself for heightened aggression from the police! That’s the message I received from the recent television interview with Commissioner of Police (CoP) Gary Griffith about the police killing of five young men in Laventille. To paraphrase this very powerful citizen, anyone who objects to his approach either has not …
Read More »Media Monitor: “Disgrantle” resident and “prioritarise-ing” minister star in messy flood coverage
The one thing that disaster should never be is haha funny. Regrettably, nobody bothered to tell TV6. Or sister OCM station i95.5fm. On yesterday’s 7pm TV news, there was this guy from Greenvale fuming about the inadequacy of the $15,000 grant that Government has offered certified victims of last weekend’s …
Read More »Media Monitor: Reporting quality the genesis of enduring WI woes? Writers needed to right cricket ship
Asked to name his best-ever West Indies squad, Lloyd Best named as his very first selectee the dean of West Indian cricket writers, Tony Cozier. This was in the late 1990s; we did not yet know that, like the Israelites in the Old Testament, we West Indians would be condemned …
Read More »Cunningham: I probably erred; TTFA board member explains role in secretive Home of Football visit
On Sunday 19 August 2018, the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) began preparation for two functions at the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva on the following day. One event was a sit-down with TTFA technical director and caretaker Women’s National Senior Team coach Anton Corneal and dealt with his …
Read More »Whodunnit?! Mr Live Wire searches for source of Express’ KPMG report on Gary Griffith
Scene: Dark, almost deserted car park in west Trinidad. Mr Live Wire makes his way towards the lone vehicle in the area. Suddenly, the vehicle switches its high beam light on, almost blinding him. Mr Live Wire: Hello?! Hello?! A figure steps out of the vehicle. Mr Live Wire can …
Read More »NCRHA slams Guardian over Powell’s cancer and surgery claims; threatens legal action
“The report claims that Michael Powell lost half of his right foot to cancer. Fact: Cancer has not been diagnosed in any patient with that name ‘who lost half of their right foot’ currently being treated by the NCRHA… “We’ve taken the strong position that this trend of inaccurate reporting …
Read More »Media Monitor: NIF, NoF, Nuff; can Government really bank on OCM?
If you watched the TV6 7pm News on Thursday, then you should have a clear idea of how deep in the doodoo our media are. And since One Caribbean Media (OCM) is one of the five companies on whose entire or partial assets the National Investment Fund is “collateralised”—not my …
Read More »Media Monitor: The problem with the T&T media’s World Cup coverage; aite!
The Trinidad Express probably thinks that the World Cup craze is so all-pervasive that they don’t need to bother too much about the rest of the paper. Here is a sentence from last Friday’s Editorial, headlined “Facts the antidote to fake news:” “Evidently hot under the collar, he—the reference was …
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