A letter the group dispatched to Stuart said: “Against the backdrop of growing concern among supporters of the Government and our party, with respect to perceived weaknesses in our leadership of the country, and a sense of drift and inertia arising therefrom, we the undersigned elected members of the Parliamentary Group seek an urgent audience with you to discuss matters of grave concern to us, as well as to chart a path forward for the retention of our party in Government.”
Nation Newspaper Mon, December 12, 2011 – 1:43 PM
The Nation newspaper broke the story last weekend that 11 disgruntled DLP parliamentarians signed a letter which was dispatched to Prime Minister Fruendel Stuart. The message conveyed in the letter was that many on Stuart’s team were dissatisfied with his leadership. BU subsequently confirmed that there is some concern in the DLP camp about Stuart’s leadership and his ability to lead the party successfully into the next general election. The Nation newspaper was very clear in its message to its readership that the letter was signed by the 11 DLP parliamentarians.
Since the newspaper report Ministers David Estwick, Michael Lashley et al have challenged the local newspaper to produce the letter which is alleged to carry their signatures. In fact they have threatened legal action. The Nation newspaper in its most recent statement on the matter has indicated it is sticking to its story. The question which is on the lips of many Barbadians and political commentators is whether the Nation should produce the letter with the alleged 11 signatures and in the process ensure its journalistic integrity, at the same time the reputations and political careers of MPs identified in the Nation newspaper report would effectively be destroyed. To most onlookers the decision for the Nation is a no-brainer, it should produce the letter. One is left to speculate by the refusal of the Nation to produce the letter whether sensationalism is winning the battle over ‘journalistic integrity’.
BU holds no brief for either party involved; we are on the side of truth, in this case journalistic honesty. Yes the matter can be dragged through the law courts of Barbados but with a narrow window of one year before the government is constitutionally required to hold a general election, the damage would have been done. What has added to the political intrigue instigated by this story is why would a leading media house in Barbados based its frontpage stories in recent days on a non existent letter stated to list 11 signatures and on the flipside some of those named in the letter counter by saying they never signed. Some one is not telling the truth. The Barbadian public deserves to be told the truth. One again has to wonder if the Nation has the letter why it simply doesn’t produce it and remove the anxiety and distraction the matter has brought to the Barbados landscape.
“Accuracy is at the heart of what we do. It is our job to get it first but it is above all our job to get it right. Accuracy, as well as balance, always takes precedence over speed” (Reuter’s Journalism Handbook of Journalism)
What is clear is that when the truth is finally made public in this matter serious damage would have been done to the reputation of one or both parties involved. Could this story play out to compare with the Carol Martindale Hartley Henry saga which has dissipated?
Given the seriousness of this matter Barbadians should be interested in what the Attorney General of Barbados Adriel Brathwaite has to say.
The blogmaster invites you to join the discussion.