The state of the media today

Karyl Walker

Sunday, December 04, 2011

Observer Online News Editor Karyl Walker's presentation to this year's National Journalism Awards ceremony on Friday night at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in Kingston.

Despite a load of criticism being heaped on the media, especially by more experienced journalists, the state of the media is not as rotten as many would have us believe.

We have in fact lost great minds and the irreplaceable talents of the esteemed John Maxwell and more recently Tino Geddes and Aggrey Brown. But if we conduct an unbiased content analysis we still have a lot to be proud of.

This year alone we have used our good offices to expose corrupt acts and unfair practices.

Let's look at the winning series of stories in the recently held Fair Play Awards which exposed the inhumane treatment meted out to patients of the St Joseph's Home in East Kingston which prompted the Minister of Local Government to launch an enquiry and revamp the way operations are handled at that facility.

The media also highlighted the case of Shanique Myrie, who was indecently violated in Barbados and another Jamaican woman, who although nabbed with contraband at the Grantley Adams Airport, was allegedly raped and sexually violated while incarcerated in that country.

These stories threw the spotlight on the way Jamaicans and other Caribbean nationals are treated in that sister Caricom country and have forced the Barbadian authorities to act while the world has taken notice of the violations.

In the case of the alleged rape, two Barbadian police officers were arrested and charged and a third has fled that island.

More recently, the outrage triggered by the publication of the case involving a man who was sentenced to three months for stealing ackees from King's House resulted in the guilty man being offered bail on appeal by the same senior magistrate who sentenced him.

In addition, the Jamaican media — and you will understand my resort to a bit of self-indulgence — led by the Jamaica Observer, have totally transformed the way the world views us with our approach to online news reporting, which kept the world and the diaspora glued to their computers through the Tivoli Gardens operation, to name just one incident.

It would be remiss of me not to mention the excellent coverage we gave to the two trials and subsequent sentencing of reggae icon Buju Banton, which topped esteemed media houses such as The Associated Press, the Miami Herald and Orlando Sentinel, whose representatives openly expressed admiration at the speed at which our twice daily reports were posted.

The media have also championed the cause of the environment and have been staunch in exposing the human rights abuses by agents of the state, in particular the cases of entertainer Robert Hill, also known as Kentucky Kid; Negril businessman Mickey Hill; Keith Clarke; and Tajoery Small, the 11-year-old boy who was blinded by a belt being used by a teacher to beat another student.

Tajoery, thankfully received eye surgery abroad after his story was published.

I wish to take the time out to mention some of my colleagues who I think have been standard bearers of the profession: Earl Moxam, Karen Madden-James, Kayon Raynor, Rohan Powell, Kirk Wright and Dionne Jackson-Miller of the RJR group readily come to mind. Arthur Hall, Darraine Luton and Tyrone Reid of the Gleaner, Garfield Burford and Andrew Cannon of CVM-TV, the incisive Cliff Hughes and George Davis of Nationwide Radio, the developing Kimmo Matthews, Corey Robinson, Paul Henry and the effective Petre Williams-Raynor of the Observer all being honed under the tutelage of the unassuming Vernon Davidson.

It would also be remiss of me not to mention columnists Mark Wignall, Ian Boyne and Kevin O'Brien Chang.

But instead of continuing to blow our trumpets and stroke our egos we still have not done enough and need to ramp up our efforts to keep the momentum going.

Firstly, journalism is failing to attract the brightest and best of our youngsters, mainly because salaries are unattractive. This is evidenced by the search with a magnifying glass to select a young journalist of the year to be awarded at this very banquet each year.

Very few youngsters see journalism as a career. If they even join the profession, after they establish themselves they branch off into public relations, which, in most instances, offers better remuneration and more sane hours.

This is an issue that media managers need to deal with if they intend to have media houses remain competitive, relevant and producing top quality work.

There is also another important issue that we, as journalists, need to collectively champion — legislation allowing the use of recording devices in court to allow for more accurate coverage.

The archaic law which only allows us a notepad and a pen needs to go.

Another albatross around the media's neck is the libel laws which effectively limit our exposure of corruption. These matters are not ones around which we should compete for market share, for as a colleague of mine once said, we are all slaves working on different plantations.

It is my personal belief that the media could have been, and still can be more active leading and charting the debate, especially at this time, on campaign financing reform.

The most burning issue, however, is the one of errors. We have dropped the baton when it comes to our use of the written and spoken word and we simply cannot, as persons who have been entrusted with the duty to inform, entertain and educate, be so loose with the language.

Too many errors creep up in the print and electronic media and I would implore bosses in the editorial departments to implement harsh punishments on those who don't take pride in their work.

The media also have to safeguard against elevating personalities, especially in the entertainment sector, into demi-gods by giving them heavy rotation and unlimited press, only to be reporting a few months later their suspected involvement in nefarious activities. Payola has also been an ugly sore on the face of the media and seriously compromises our ability to be fair and impartial in our coverage.

We have to pull up our socks. As journalists, our opportunities today are greater than ever, but so is the responsibility we bear. We must, in everything we do, be respectful of the public, our true bosses, and we must never allow the lure of fame or fortune to distract us from what it is we are here to do, which is to be the watchdog of authority, educator of the masses, and voice of the voiceless.

In closing, I implore my colleagues to strive for excellence, which to me, means simply getting the story right.

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COMMENTS (10)

Jonothan Brown
12/9/2011

While I agree that the media are too sensitive to criticism, and there are too many errors daily, too much is expected of them. For decades media have exposed scandals and given people useful information but what happens? People sit and chat about it and move on to the next one. It is the PEOPLE who have the power. They must get information from different sources and THINK for themselves. When scandals are exposed, make the noise to cause change! Media cant do everything. They're just a tool!

Beresford Davidson
12/6/2011

Some of my old media workmates received a doctorate for their studies in a number of traditional university academic disciplines and I am left to wonder what does this title does for a journalist? Do they earn a tad more than the city editor? Are they assigned pristine assignment such as Jamaica House, Gordon House, Transportation Department, Health Ministry etcetera? Does this doctorate title mean that such a person, is more important than they think they are or can this doctorate journalist doctor the news to skew one way or another than the truth? Come talk to me!

Luv Quest
12/4/2011

Without the media we would be fumbling around in the dark. The information that journalist provides and publish is of paramount value to the curious mind. In journalism credibility determines success. Now; my question is why all the people who are constantly dissatisfied with **** paper belongs to a certain obvious group? I got it, because birds of a feather flocks together and cuss cuss others. Just some corn for the birds.

ghost rider
12/4/2011

@Joyce bennett, since the media won't tell you and the PNP wont either, let ME tell you. Trafigura gave money to the PNP to run their elections in 2007. You will soon know the extent of the JDIP. But in the meantime you could tell us who PAID for your campaign in 2007. Since the JLP outspent the PNP by 10-1 they must have got their money from somewhere. Do we know?.
In the meantime do you know who paid Manatt for Dudus? Perhaps you could encourage the media to tell us.about that too.

Mark Forbes
12/4/2011

Wignall, Chang and Boyne, Mr Walker? Why those 3? You are name-checking them for the sterling support they have given to the JLP's propaganda effort, aren't you? One shouldn't be too surprised though, that an editor from the JLP's de facto house organ, the Observer, would be impressed by these 3. They are clearly pro-JLP, 2 of them rabidly so. Boyne seems to have being pro-Golding, which accounts for the marked difference in his columns since Golding's fall from grace.

joyce bennett
12/4/2011

We hear so much about JDIP, and the bad management, there wasn't any corruption, but we don't hear anything about Trafigura affair and that is corruption..........Is this fair to the people of Jamaica.

David Armstrong
12/4/2011

One of the things I believe the media has failed to do is to help shape the selection/election of people seeking elected office. The media has a responsibility to inform the public about the character, the philosophy, their track record, their positions on current major issues, and what they they can offer to help their constituencies or JA. Right now we have two political leaders (one trying to regain power and the other to retain it) who have not really addressed the serious challenges.

fall mouth
12/4/2011

They know too that if they continue filing these stories how they will be viewed by management and unless they have already built a reputation to insulate them, they might well be out looking for work. A lot of the things that Mr. Walker take credit for is the work of the social media. If the media was doing a good job then a lot of corruption would not take place because

fall mouth
12/4/2011

The media is biased more than it ever was. Sometimes we wonder whether reporters from different media houses were at the same function. The bias is probably fueled by the hard economic times since reporters know that their jobs depend on toeing the line. Reporters already know which stories will hit the headlines and which ones will ignominiously be consigned to file 13, without the editor telling them what to report and what not to.

Paul Gentles
12/4/2011

The media - with this paper playing a prominent role - is letting Ja down. Instead of being the watch-dog on behalf of the people has largely been working as radically as the "military wing" i..e. dons in the ghettoes to protect political interests.
Some of the candidates for e.g. that are being put forward by both parties should be exposed and removed - instead they are getting "make-overs" by Editors? Too many political hand-outs acting like national newspapers.

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The state of the media today