Parry punches wildly at local media
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - In an amazing show of indignation, Premier Joseph Parry of Nevis blasted the local media singling out the privately owned radio station WINN FM 98.9, describing it as a “false prophet” and “destructive”. He even went as far as comparing them to the Murdoch media – a destructive and divisive force in the society.
Murdoch’s media managers are being accused, in a phone hacking scandal, of corrupt practices so widespread that serious suspicion of collusion is being laid on top police officers and successive prime ministers and presidents of Britain and the USA respectively.
Mr. Parry said as far as he was concerned, the news media had abandoned their role in terms of helping to uplift the country.
He went on "...And just like the news media in the United States of America and News of the World in England, they go around and involve themselves in destruction and destructive devices to make money."
The vehemence with which Premier Parry exploded at the Thanksgiving Ceremony for his political party’s victory, indicates that he is still stinging from the numerous accusations of irregular practices many claim they observed at the local elections on Nevis on July 11.
What is even more surprising is that the accusations he appears to be levelling at the privately owned radio station – that WINN FM had reported the supposed CCM win – was refuted by the radio station.
"Twenty five minutes of misinformation! But we are the illegal government, so say WINN FM!" stated Parry.
But in a news statement the radio station categorically denied that this is true. “WINN FM's never reported that the CCM (the opposition) had won the election” they said in their subsequent news broadcast.
It is unfortunate that Mr. Parry, a senior politician, has not realized that it is never wise to “whack” the media, and especially the media house to which his electorate regularly goes for news.
In an attempt to bring ‘unbiased’ news reports, as an Independent radio station should, WINFM has striven to give air time to all political parties, a hitherto unknown phenomenon in St. Kitts where Opposition Parties are not allowed air time on Government stations.
As a result of allowing opposition members equal time to air their views, all sorts of degrading names have been used to describe this radio station by incumbent politicians. It has been described as “a landfill’, “garbage dump” and the place where “donkeys bray”. One politician boasts that he never listens to their “talk shows”. Apparently he is not interested in getting feedback from his electorate.
If the accusations levelled at WINNFM by Premier Parry are not in fact true, then the media has even more need to take heed of what Professor Trevor Munroe of Jamaica told media practitioners last week.
He said: “The media must help keep government honest...”
He urged local media practitioners to push for reforms of campaign financing based on recommended changes by the Electoral Commission of Jamaica (ECJ) last year, related to the registration and funding of political parties.
Munroe, Director of the National Integrity Action Forum (NIAF), was addressing media practitioners from across the region on 'The role of media in combating corruption and strengthening governance'
According to the Jamaica Observer, “Monroe also added that citizens across the region 'are losing confidence in the apparent inability of democratic governance to cope more effectively with corruption, with the continuing under-performance of our economies which it inevitably carries with it, and with the blocking of opportunities for a better life for the 'man in the street'."
If a government is honest and prepared to work for the ‘man on the street’ it would be more strategic to “woo” the media than to “whack” it.
In this instance, we must say to Premier Parry, “Methinks, thou dost protest too much.” (Shakespeare)
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