September 22, 2005
The Death of Journalism in the Bahamas
Journalism in the Bahamas is a lost art that seems to produce more press release garbage than actual news. Journalism, which writers should take pride in and print the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, is becoming irrelevant in the Bahamas, turning more or less into unreadable trash that should be used to make spitwads we can shoot at these so-called "journalists".
"(Journalism) is a job where your reputation in the field is at stake everyday. You have to be correct all of the time for your name to build both credibility and respect. The public is...depending on you." - Vanessa C. Rolle, The Nassau Guardian Lifestyle Editor, while addressing a group of 9th graders at Bahamas Academy of Seventh Day Adventists Thursday on the role of journalists.
"Responsible journalism demands that accuracy and factual information is given to the public." - The Nassau Guardian, January 30 2004
This morning, the Bahama Journal and the Nassau Guardian printed articles that nearly made me cough up my Frosted Flakes in disgust. Both of which were blatant lies, a trend that most Bahamian newspapers are becoming accustomed to. The first "article", a story from the Bahama Journal, bared a headline that read 'U.S. Ambassador Apologizes For Embarrassment Caused By Drug List'. The headline couldn't be any further from the actual content of the article. The U.S. Ambassador didn't apologize for the embarrassment. His exact words were "I apologize, madam deputy prime minister, if this report caused any concern about the close relationship [between our countries] or the progress being made, because that was not the intent."
That doesn't sound like he apologized for any embarrassment. It sounded more like sympathy that an apology. The Bahama Journal took that quote and twisted it into an eye-catching headline, which it was. But, to follow it up with nearly 20 paragraphs that makes the headline a lie made me feel sorry for the poor Bahamians who only read the headlines. If you're going to print garbage, at least make the article short. That way we can throw it out faster.
A prime example of quick, written garbage came from the Nassau Guardian, the self-proclaimed 'National Newspaper of The Bahamas'. The headline read 'Heavy Trading At BISX (Bahamas International Stock Exchange)'. As a 'Wall Street' movie buff, I decided to read the article. The opening sentence starts with 'Investors were busy yesterday, making 11 trades...' I stopped reading immediately. Are you kidding me? 11 trades is busy? Could the headline to the article be any further from the truth? The worst stock broker in America/the world makes 11 trades on a bad day. If 11 trades is busy, then what's slow? No trades? Zero trades in one day is unheard of in any stock market. A more proper headline might have been , "BISX Sees Increased Activity", or something like that. To suggest that 11 trades is "busy" makes a mockery of the stock trading industry, no matter what exchange it occurs on. But, as they say, only in the Bahamas...
Every time you open a Bahamian newspaper the headlines makes the stories seem better than they are, while the content of the article contradicts everything the headline said. Is that honest journalism or misleading propaganda? The point of journalism is to inform readers and make them more knowledgeable. By printing lies at the top of every story, the Bahama Journal and the Nassau Guardian make journalism in the Bahamas look bad, because of their careless reporting and their inept attempts to make the Bahamas look better than it really is.
The quotes I provided at the top of the story summarize the Bahamian media simply. If the writers who write this garbage lie to school kids regarding their commitment to good journalism, do you think that the stories they produce are going to provide the reader with anything relevant? Are we really better off not being snowballed or do these newspapers truly believe their readers are stupid? One writer's garbage can never become one reader's treasure. No, I take that back. It can be a treasure.
When I run out of toilet paper.
Posted by admin at September 22, 2005 12:18 PM | TrackBack