Nation Editorial, Classic Example of ‘Pussy Cat Journalism’

Submitted by Douglas

Eric Smith, Editor in Chief of Nation Newspaper

Monday’s Nation Editorial is a classic example of what my Mass Com professor used to call ‘Pussy Cat Journalism’. From the accusing headline to the first few paragraphs and the  general drift and body of the story, a reader is sure to deduce that Government was at fault for the delay in the Bushy Park Development.

But, read on, and you would see who is responsible for the delay. In fact, no application has been submitted to Town Planning as yet.  So, a reasonable person is tempted to ask: why such an editorial? Why even state that “in light of the number of Government Ministries and Departments that would be involved in carrying out an assessment …….. of the application”; and “We are sure that once the application seeking permission has been duly submitted, the Town Planning Department would, as speedily as possible, process the paperwork for a developmental project that would greatly assist our starved economy, while ensuring that the public’s long-term interests are respected and protected.”

Mum Wants Answers, Mum Got Answers

Submitted by Jay Arthurs

The Mother – Nation

Now that it has been proven that the student did steal the boom box:-

1. Is Ms.Whittaker going to the Nation and having them print a back page for Thursday as an apology to the Principal?
2. Is the officer at the Ministry who advised Ms.Whittaker going to call her and advise her to go to the Nation and have an apology written?
3. Who is going to pay for the destruction of the Principal’s reputation?
4. What is the Ministry saying now that the truth is out that Darron’s witness verified that it was Darron who took the boom-box? Is it going to tie the Principal’s hand behind his back and flog him?

Related Article: Mum Wants Answers

Leroy Parris v BLP, Nation and Barbados Advocate: Chief Justice Gibson Produces a What the Hell Moment

Marston Gibson, Chief Justice

Leroy Parris

Barbadians were treated recently to the news that the enigmatic Chairman of CLICO Holdings Barbados Leroy Parris who was deposed when the bottom fell out of the CLICO parent company in Trinidad has filed a legal action against the Nation, Barbados Advocate and Barbados Labour Party (BLP). Parris would not have made the top 200,000th popular person list in Barbados prior to his recent court action. Now that he has filed the action his position is likely to slide to 250,000th.

Tales From the Courts Part XI: Sir Frederick Smith Attacked by Nation Editorial – when hypocrisy becomes high camp

Sir Frederick Smith

BU has read with interest the editorial in the Sunday Sun of 10 March 2012 in which the writer launched an attack on Sir Frederick Smith QC for comments made about the Barbados judiciary. BU holds no brief for Sir Frederick but one is left to question the motive of the ‘editor’ of what is regarded as the most widely circulated newspaper in Barbados.

BU’s research confirms that in the mid-90s Sir Frederick delivered a speech to a legal body, an event attended by judges and members of the Bar from throughout the Caribbean. At that time, Sir Frederick stated, inter alia, “It appears to me that judges in Barbados think they have a constitutional right to be stupid.” Sir Frederick is consistent – unlike the “editor” of the Nation.

The tenor of the “editorial” suggests someone has an axe to grind. Could it be there is some fire rage being directed at Sir Frederick Smith because he was chosen to deliver the eulogy for retired judge, Lindsay Worrell, the father of Mr Justice Randall Worrell.

The editorial gets off to a pompous start:

The Violet Beckles Affair, Separating Fact From Fiction Part V

Memo to Commissioner of Titles

Department of Inland Revenue document

Doctor Watson declares Violet Beckles’ fit’.

Violet appeals to Nation newspaper for HELP!

The Old Lady appeals to Mia Mottley, former Attorney General

Receipt (1)

Receipt (2)

Receipt (3)

Receipt (4)

Receipt (5)

Related Links:

• Rights, Justice And The Law In The Case Of Violet Beckles

• The Violet Beckles Affair, Separating Fact From Fiction

• The Violet Beckles Affair, Separating Fact From Fiction Part II

• The Violet Beckles Affair, Separating Fact From Fiction Part III

• The Violet Beckles Affair, Separating Fact From Fiction Part IV

Blackout at Starcom

Submitted by HAMILTON HILL

Vic Fernandes – CEO Starcom

Even though Thanksgiving here in the US is symbolized by a bird we know as a turkey, somehow on this chilly thanksgiving morning other birds come to mind. Perhaps the Bajan in me comes to the fore anytime the temperature drops, but even so why am I thinking about sitting ducks and yard fowls? Maybe, just maybe it has something to do with The Market Vendor.

This morning the vendor took as his choice of discussion the selective nature of the media here in America. Market you fa real?  Market up to this very moment the Starcom stations have not been notified of the fact that there is a God. They have not been told that Kaymar Jordan [and lets put it nicely] has parted company with the Barbados Nation, their very own subsidiary sister. Perhaps she does not have the stock of a David Ellis, who was force fed contrition after being left by those blowhards and jokers at the BAJ to twist in the wind, so that a public apology sufficed, while she was made to fall on the sword of political immolation, a clear and distinct sign that her usefulness to her masters, and yours had expired. A sitting duck dat.

Kaymar Jordan Booted

Kaymar Jordan

The departure (dismissal) of Kaymar Jordan from the Nation newspaper broke on BU last night, Kaymar Jordan held the position of Editor in Chief at the Nation newspaper.

A scan of today’s Sunday Sun reveals that Kaymar Jordan’s name has been removed from its Masthead. What BU finds interesting is the silence which surrounds her departure. The Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) carried the item last night.

A BU source has informed that Eric Smith is currently in charge – Nation staff has confirmed Jordan’s departure but they remain tight lip when asked to divulge the circumstances which caused her departure. Barbadians recall the recent Nation Talkback forum generated controversy when Prime Minister Fruendel Stuart was scathing in his attack about how the session was organized. Was Jordan set up?

BU will continue to follow this breaking development. Surely there is more in the mortar than the pestle?

BU Talkback:Nation Letter Sent to Prime Minister Stuart

The letter of invitation sent to Prime Minister Fruendel Stuart from the Nation newspaper which has created a furor in some circles – CLICK on image to read the full letter. What is wrong with the letter? Have your say!

A Few Questions About The CADRES Poll

Peter Wickham, Head of CADRES

A couple questions about the recent CADRES Poll.

With less than one year to go before a general election is constitutionally due, why would those (entity) who commissioned the poll not have requested constituency polling and also sought to adjudge the size of the swing for or against the government?Isn’t this the information which would be in demand at this time?

Who commissioned the poll and what was the role of the Nation newspaper in delivering the information to Barbadians?

The Nation Is At It Again

Submitted by Barbados Election Watch

Prime Minister Fruendel Stuart

One can now be left in no doubt that the Nation Newspaper has set itself the agenda of getting rid of Prime Minister Stuart at all cost. On more than one occasion, contributors to this blog have drawn attention to the unmistakably biased approach of that paper towards the Prime Minister of Barbados. It would seem that  whatever he does, or fails to do, no matter that he conducts himself with the highest level of decorum, and honesty he can be the subject of some form of ridicule . Very recently noted historian and  veteran trade unionist Mr Robert Bobby Morris drew attention to the way the Prime Minister was depicted by the paper when it sought to comment in a front page  article on the results of the CADRES poll . Mr Stuart the tallest of the persons presented in a form of picture chart , was made to look like some puny midget in a straight-jacket while the others , of shorter stature , were much more favourably presented. Other persons have been commenting on the kinds of photos of Mr Stuart that the paper has been recently using in its efforts to ridicule him in some form or fashion .

Today however, the newspaper has done its worst. The BIG BOLD HEADLINES IN RED SCREAMED …” NOT A WORD”. BHTA head says PM has not responded to request for meeting “It was a story by a Gercine Carter in which the paper has outdone itself in its efforts at  vilification . The Prime Minister was being ” rapped for failing to respond to a Barbados Hotel Association ( BHTA ) request for an urgent meeting to discuss the  plight of the Island’s vital tourism industry “. It went further to state that “the Prime Minister’s priorities were yesterday called into question by the outgoing president of the BHTA, Colin Jordan, who pointed to Stuart’s promptness in meeting with Cuban ex-convict Raul Garcia at Dodds Prison recently, while a letter requesting the meeting more than two months ago had not been acknowledged to date “.

The Nation Should Be Ashamed!

Submitted by Charles Knighton

Liesel Daisley Chair/ Founder at SAVE Foundation - Photo Credit: Nation Newspaper

Having occasionally submitted letters to the editor, I can attest to the fact that the Nation’s editors are in no way shy when it comes to wielding their blue pencils. Knowing this, I found myself in utter disbelief upon reading the summary of the court case under the March 6 heading “Man to pay for criminal damage“.

Redolent in the Schadenfreude which seemingly permeates this island’s populace, we are reminded on three occasions that the complainant, whose full name is provided, had her dildo destroyed. We also learn the complainant was slapped in the face and that varnish had been thrown on her clothes and those of her children.

So what we have is a mother who, unlike many others, had the courage to report said transgressions to her property and on her person to the proper authorities, leading to a conviction of the perpetrator.

Her reward? A frontal assault on the dignity and the privacy of both mother and children, who can now expect a merciless teasing, if not outright bullying, from their peers. After years of unstinting effort on the behalf of battered women, Ms. Daisley should be incensed by such “journalism”. Simply put, the Nation should be ashamed.

Time To Rein In The Nation Newspaper

Kaymar Jordan, Editor in Chief, Nation Newspaper

The following was submitted by a concerned Barbadian who prefers to remain anonymous – Barbados Underground

It really is about time that every effort is made to bring some sanity back into the operations of the Nation Newspaper and deflect it from the path it has embarked upon. In its present state the newspaper is no more than a scandal sheet whose main agenda seems to be doing no more than creating sensation, much of which is anti government, and in the process breaking all the rules of propriety.

Some time recently one of the lawyers for Mr Leroy Parris of CLICO upon whom they have been waging a personal vendetta, went on national television to complain about two articles which the newspaper published . The first suggested that his client had gone ” MISSING ” in an effort to avoid being served process by a Marshall of the Supreme Court; the second “SERVED” referred to the first article and suggested that his client had gone overseas and also imputed that this was in his attempt to avoid being brought before the court on a CRIMINAL charge. Mr Parris’ lawyer made it very clear that he was informed that the CHIEF MARSHALL had no record of any failure by any Marshall to serve Mr Parris. In addition, the marshal for the area had confirmed that he had neither tried nor failed to execute service on Mr Parris. He also informed that his client had refuted any claim that he had left the island; in fact he had not left the island for months .

A View Of The NATION From Underground

Submitted by WordSong

Kaymar Jordan, Editor-in-Chief of the NATION Newspaper

No Kaymar Jordan you did not tell the truth and stand justifiably accused by the general public. Your manipulations and distortions converted what could have been an otherwise great story into a scandalous piece of journalistic tripe. Now you and whoever helped you write that editorial would hoodwink the public (again) into believing that there was merit in what you did; all you have done in the editorial is to confirm the stupidity of the NATION’s newspaper policy. Technology has seen it fit that newspapers remain widely read. So what was the point you were making about technology again? No amount of spin doctoring will alter what remains a travesty.

You distorted the truth – for effect and commercial gain and possibly out of pure ignorance. You could not even give the public that your deliberateness in distorting was influenced by the expectation of more information and for that you apologize. I now say any decent newspaper would have fired you or put you on the back bench like they will put Sinckler. I for one will not buy another Nation or Sunday Sun newspaper. But what does it matter? Who cares? Not the Nation . Harold Hoyte I am ashamed of you too because I know you still have influence in what goes on at the paper.