The theatrical production of two St. Leonards Boys recorded on video being flogged by a teacher was confirmed to be a prank by the Nation newspaper today. The video first appeared on Facebook and was subsequently downloaded and posted by an over zealous and exuberant blogger. BU first heard about the video when Anthony ‘Admiral’ Nelson discussed it on his morning show early last week, this would have been before the video was published by the blogger. Given the damage to the reputation of young children, a school teacher and a school which has always gotten a raw deal in Barbados, BU took a decision not to publish the video until we could confirm its authenticity.
The difference between the blogs and traditional media we are told is the extra-mile which is traveled by them to verify stories and be responsible in reporting. The Nation newspaper in its article today which condemned the video as a prank took the opportunity to name blogs and websites which would have published the video. It was obviously a deliberate action by the editors of the Nation to smear the non-traditional media because of their injudicious action.
The Nation is entitled to punch back because it is usually at the receiving end from us.
The problem we have with the Nation newspaper article is one of business ethics. An alert BU family member (Sargeant) informed us that the same Nation newspaper in its gossip column Pudding and Souse published the following on the 26 December 2009; two days after the blogger posted the video:
CRICKETERS TAKE LASHES OFF PITCH
SEEMS THAT TEACHERS at a certain secondary school are still not afraid to instill discipline on their charges with the use of a whip. A video making the rounds on Facebook shows a teacher at the school putting some hot lashes on three teenage boys from the cricket team who apparently went to a strip club and returned to their hotel room late at night. Apparently this took place while the team was on tour in a neighbouring Caribbean country. From the looks of it, the boys who got the lashes will never step out of line again. Wonder what education authorities would say this time around?
Should we let the BU family be the judge? Yes the article did not name names but Barbados is a small business and as the people down by the Riverside is fond of saying, one does not have to name names to identify the guilty party. Why is it the reputable and upright Nation newspaper is able to get away with publishing lies and innuendo every Saturday (see above) and it is given a pass mark?
Note the last sentence in the piece quoted ‘Wonder what education authorities would say this time around?’
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