…Loveridge immediately left the room and disappeared. He had earlier asked two other questions, even though the host made it clear only one question per person. Those questions were considered in order and were politely answered… (Barbados Today)

The inaccurate reporting by Emanuel Joseph of Barbados Today this week which occurred during the Q&A session at the monthly business luncheon of the Barbados Chamber of Commerce brings into focus the role of media in a democracy. Of interest to BU has been the deafening silence by local media to what maybe described as a breech of ethics by a senior and experienced reporter. Some will question BU’s description of Emmanuel Joseph as a  experienced reporter given  his association with the stalled Investigator newspaper. For any discipline to remain strong there is a degree of self-censorship which must rear its head. Sadly given the state of local media breeches to journalism ethics and standards routinely go unchallenged.

To repeat what commonsense tells us, we need the local media to feed civil society with quality information; the result, Barbadians are able to make informed decisions. If we cannot depend on the reportage of the local media,  we become a society of the ignorant and uninformed, unable to make good decisions, then the repeated adage becomes applicable, garbage in (media) garbage out (uninformed decisions by citizenry). An active Fourth Estate must therefore be the eyes and ears of citizens who lack the specialization and resources to be ‘fully aware’. This is true if we appreciate the  behemoth and labyrinth design of a key member of civil society – government.

Related Link:

Listen to BCCI Luncheon (Butch Stewart/Compliments Adrian Loveridge

The local media is controlled by government and a narrow private interest. There is the CBC (government owned), Barbados Advocate (government controlled), Nation Group of Companies (OneMedia) and Barbados Today (Harris et al). An examination of the ownership mix of local media one cannot avoid the perception that editorial independence is heavily compromised. It is one reason which explains the rise of BU and other outlets using the social media platform.

Some say it is impossible to expect a credible media in small countries like a Barbados to take root. The familial and incestuous nature of small societies create the obvious challenge. Compounding the issue for Barbados is the lack of a vibrant association of journalists to promote the aims and ideals of the profession; to act as a support for media practitioners who have to operate in a challenging environment.  A further lament is the dearth of financial reporting. The current state of the economy demands our media and others in civil society step up to ensure Barbadians are well informed on matters of a financial nature. We do not want news which is manipulated or inaccurate.

One way Barbadians have compensated for the state of media in Barbados has been the rise in the use of the social media platform. What will happen in quick time is the dismantling of traditional media sources whether the traditionalists like it or not. While there is the good and bad of social media BU has a dream that it will force a credible system of government to emerge.

The public interest is defined as representing a plurality of voices both through a greater number of outlets and through the diversity of views and voices reflected within one outlet – Centre for Democracy and Governance