A CARIBBEAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION (CBC) CAMERAMAN was arrested and charged, while two NATION media personnel were manhandled by police officers at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) on Friday night. The incident occurred when the media converged outside the QEH’s Accident & Emergency (A&E) Department to report on casualties arriving from a Transport Board bus accident at Bath, St John.Jimmy Gittens, a contract photographer with CBC, appeared before Magistrate Deborah Holder in the District “A” Bridgetown Court yesterday charged with trespassing on the QEH’s compound.
The Nation Newspaper has reported this morning that members of the media were arrested and charged yesterday (27 May 2007). The transgression is reported to be that the cameraman was deemed to be trespassing on the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) compound. Let BU add its voice to those in recent times which have shown concern at the way the media is being manhandled in Barbados. BU has written exhaustively in its short existence about the ramifications of an ineffective media in Barbados. This recent attack on the Barbados media has come days after Amnesty International released its Report for 2007 outlining concerns that governments around the world are using the threat of terror in the aftermath of 911 to infringe on the rights of citizens and media alike. By the way is this the same Royal Barbados Police Force which allowed themselves to be searched like “looppy dogs” at the just concluded CWC 2007?
We applaud the effort of the QEH to crack down on security, but if the Press after showing credentials is not permitted to do the work of informing the country, we have a problem. A simple solution to this matter would have been for the PR personnel at the QEH to “arrange” the photos which would have been acceptable to all present and avoid creating a public incident. BU applaud the members of the Press involved who for the first time that we can remember in recent times have stood-up for a principle. BU is surprise that the senior reporter present, Timothy Slinger appeared to have been given the same lack of respect meted out to his more junior colleagues.
BU waits to see the fallout from this incident and how the media in Barbados will mobilize at the obvious threat to treat them as “ordinary citizens”. A timely intervention from the Barbados Association of Journalists and the Media Houses is required, NOW!
Related Stories:
Vivian Anne Gittens on page 23 A in the Sunday Sun of 2007 -05 -27 cries ” Police action a threat to Press Freedom ! ”
It took such action against her staff to make such pronouncements….!
Where was her voice against Starcom action to have Adrian Loveridge sit in one studio while Noel Lynch DEMANDED to sat in the other…?
Where was her voice when photographers were roughed up during Tiger Woods wedding….?
Friends look at the photos in the paper today…..it reminds one of how the press is treated in ZIMBABWE…..!
When the press is hounded down doing their legitimate work………can we afford to make the MISTAKE and give Owen Arthur a fourth TERM…..?
“Journalists” in Barbados have only themselves to blame for the situation they find themselves in.
What they failed to realised over the years is the fact that injustice against one is injustice against all.
Over the years we have had many ,many cases of citizens being being abused by the Police including death in Police custody, the ultimate injustice, one would have thought that such cases would have been vigorously pursued by “journalists”, but no such luck!
It did not occur to them so they did not give a damm. All that interest them was being able to make their morgage payments.
I risk a bet that now they would like the entire country to around them in their dark hour when over the years they have consistently failed the down trodden black people in Barbados.
We can only live and hope that this latest assault on the Press in Barbados will act as a catalyst to spur this noble profession to do what they are there to do…that is to protect the free flow of information.
Lets replace Arthur with Mugabe and we will have everything sorted.
Control of the media, abuse of private citizens rights, control of the business houses, no opposition and if you do find them getting vocal beat them into submission.
All the trademarks of a dictatorship in the making here.
This remind me very much of the same Antoino Miller’s encounter with Eddie Fearless where he was abused by Fearless the two actions funny enough have the blessing of Owing Arthur as Fearless is a loyal supporter and financial supporter of Owings gang of goons and crooks.
Lets replace Arthur with Mugabe and we will have everything sorted.
Control of the media, abuse of private citizens rights, control of the business houses, no opposition and if you do find them getting vocal beat them into submission.
All the trademarks of a dictatorship in the making here.
This remind me very much of the same Antoino Miller’s encounter with Eddie Fearless where he was abused by Fearless the two actions funny enough have the blessing of Owing Arthur as Fearless is a loyal supporter and financial supporter of Owings gang of goons and crooks.
WIV~what the authorities need to understand must be that times are changing rapidly. “Bullying” tactics which have long since been practiced by the authorities will be challenged more and more and with the global configuration it becomes difficult to contain these types of issues. Some might say to compare to Mugabe is extreme but any instance where freedom of expression is stymied the comparison is warranted.
Wishing in Vain, you have me a little confused here. Are you “Fred” on BFP, or WIV, or both??
Carson, my friend. I agree with you 110%. Some people don’t know and don’t give a damn how tight someone’s else shoes fit, until they have to wear them.
Maybe this incident would get under the skin of ALL Journalists to do a much better job.
Let us all read the link below !
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070529/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/venezuela_chavez_vs_tv
Now let us ask ourselves these questions :
*** Would Owen Arthur & Mia Mottley join the international community and condemn Chavez’ ACTIONS….?
ME thinks not…..Owen & Mia ABHOR the call – in programmes in Barbados…!
VOB /STARCOM WATCH OUT….!
*** Would Owen Arthur & Mia Mottley condemn the rough treatment of journalists at the QEH by the POLICE….?
ME thinks not…..Owen once called the Nation news a RAG…..& Mia just told Albert Branford
” you do not know Mia Mottley ”
BARBADOS JOURNALISTS WATCH OUT…!
*** Would Owen Arthur & Mia Mottley allow another TV station to set up in BARBADOS….?
ME thinks not….Owen & Mia hold the view that the press must be suppressed in Barbados…!
NOEL LYNCH DISPLAY ON 25TH MARCH 2007 IS A STARK REMINDER….!
No more reports on art shows in Queen’s Park- trespassing!
No more articles from the Esplanade about how the government and the social partnership are making wonderful imaginary progress. Trespassing!
No more Cropover footage or audio from Stadium. Trespassing!
No more reports from Parliament. Trespassing!
No more nothing if it doesn’t suit elite Massas in the high offices.
Zieg Heil!
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Freedom of expression/speech by individuals and the press has been under threat in Barbados now for years. Some on this blog might not remember this incident and it is by no means isolated.
When I use to visit Barbados I would participate by way of letters to the editor because I felt I had that right being a born Barbadian Citizen, along with being told the island was “Democratic”. But my Barbados family at the time I have none remaining and SOME friends cautioned me to be careful saying “Barbados is not like it was”. And I soon found out what they were saying was correct!
On this occasion when I was there I made the mistake of writing a letter to the editor about the off-shore industry which as we all know is an industry held very close to Arthurs heart. And which he protects with venomous public media and other assaults and tirades when required.
The next day following the printing of the letter in the Advocate their Publisher and CEO a prominent white man lambasted me in an editorial in the worse and most unprofessional way. I was told but cannot prove it that the attack was motivated by Government pressure brought to bear on him.
Following that incident it was only a week or so later that my car was stopped for no reason at the top of Cleavers Hill and me and my wife and two young grand children who were asleep in the back seat were ordered out of the vehicle by police and the car searched without cause or a warrant. I realized I was being sent a message. And the message was this is Democracy in Barbados by the BLP. I was shocked because contrary to what a number of other people might think about him, I have always had the greatest of respect for the Attorney General at the time I believe and now the Chief Justice David Simmons. Who I had always regarded as a man of honor, integrity, character and fair play.
But what was even more troubling to me was that the verbal attack in the press came from a person who had a family member I worked with and who had a problem that I had to help in out on, on more than one occasion when I lived and worked in Barbados. Some people in Barbados are friends until you criticize their financial gravy train and then you are regarded as public enemy number one.
That was done to me and my family as visitors so why should Ellis, and the average resident Barbadian not expect to be treated equally without regard for human rights, democracy, freedom of speech etc and all of the other things people take for granted in most free and Democratic Nations of the World? That is among the reasons I will never set foot back in Barbados. I have no respect for any Government who rules by intimidation and cannot be held accountable for it!
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In relation to BFP blogs that Owing is staying at a US 15,000.00 per night room in New York.
He is not staying at either the Mandarin Oriental in New York City or The Four Seasons Hotel in New York.
I thought that he may have been complimentary at Four Seasons for the favours he has extended to them in the Paradise project but having called both hotels the receptionist said that they had no guess by that name then I almost tried to see if he may have checked in under an assumed name and the only thing that came to mind is Mr ESAF See Thru but passed on that.
Anyone can track him and give us his hotel and room number it would be greatly appreciated as we maybe able to contact him and talk to him easier in New York than we could in Barbados.
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