Poor Mr Warmington, he has not a clue

Thursday, October 28, 2010

We took our time before wading into the Everald Warmington brouhaha, for good reasons.

It was important to avoid making an emotional response to his rather crude description of the Jamaican news media as "filth".

But more importantly, we did not want to rush into a knee-jerk reaction to his criticism of the media as an attack against press freedom.

Mr Warmington, like any other Jamaican, is entitled to criticise the work and performance of the media. We dish it out so we must be able to take it. This is the essence of the great truth of freedom of expression, which is very much alive in Jamaica.

Yesterday, the Gleaner demonstrated that the 'system' works, by an apology, even if it was a little bit over the top — with a photo of the editor-in-chief and all — over two erroneous news stories carried Sunday and Monday.

We believe the apology will restore the faith that readers would have lost after the wrong done to Mr Andrew Holness and Mrs Patricia Sinclair-McCalla, and reinforce the need for all of us journalists to cling to the watchwords 'carefulness' and 'balance'.

We completely reject the rush-to-judgement suggestion that every error made by journalists has to do with political motive.

In our own case, we took the unprecedented step of criticising ourselves, along with the Sunday Herald, in an editorial titled "So what if politicians buy homes, health services overseas?" - October 5, 2010.

The point is that we are, none of us in media, above criticism. That is why we didn't mind when Nationwide's This Morning, as imperfect as they are themselves, called us out on the Roger Clarke story when we quoted an unnamed source and not Mr Clarke himself.

But that is as far as we are willing to let Mr Warmington off the hook. A cursory glance at his run-ins with the media shows that the South West St Catherine Member of Parliament is trying to get himself a few headlines. The trouble is that he blunders every time because he is so inept at it.

Mr Wamington is more about form than substance. Notice how he makes great ceremony out of telling a busy public servant to leave the Gordon House chambers and go put on a jacket. The man was wearing a tie and was not dishevelled.

The MP is the same man who embarrassed his Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), an active member of the Electoral Commission, which he accused of having its own "axe to grind" when he disagreed with its tripartite report on the realignment of constituency boundaries in March this year.

In August, he also called Contractor-General Greg Christie "overzealous" when he was being investigated in the award of contracts by the St Catherine Parish Council, to Strathairn Construction Company, which he was said to have owned.

These are in addition to several other outrageous outbursts made by Mr Wamington over the years. How he gets away with this behaviour defies the imagination. Does he have someone's secret?

But then you, know, poor Mr Warmington, he has not a clue.

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COMMENTS (16)

Otis James
10/29/2010

Mr. Warmington is an inept, overzealous idiot who cannot do anything right just like the PM.

Yard Vibz
10/29/2010

For some reason, this piece seems counterproductive from my vantage point. It is without doubt that the purpose of this cas-cas & passa-passa is to garner support from the audience & subsequently relegate the argued subject to the title of yard boy. But in the midst of all the stone throwing, the MP harvests unearned accolades because the media inadvertently turned him into a fuel injector. Peace!

Norman Haley
10/29/2010

Mr warmington is a part of the whole corrupt system when a country can have in parliament one so course. Mr. Warmington is a loose canon, but the PM cannot discipline him, he has too much secret for them.

Mr Skill
10/28/2010

@ David Armstrong...well put sir!

Hotta Fire
10/28/2010

@ clovis and those who said the Portia did nothing in her constituency. The cartoon is saying she did build houses foe the people there. Sometime unuh just dont know what to do or say. Hyprocrits, thats what you are.

Al Vanawic
10/28/2010

When you look at the 'wishy washy' people in politics then you wonder why Jamaica politicians spend ninety percent of their times defending themselves against corruption, accusations and malpractice. We are now popping champagne bottles that we move up to 87 on the world corruption index from the very low figure of 99. Can you imagine what the celebration will be when we reach number one on the corruption index? This will happen when men will again rubbing stones together to make fire.

Brooklyn Jamaican
10/28/2010

Mr Editor you need to remove the disgraceful article online about Mr Horace Peterkin. It is childish and a mockery. Someone needs to apologize.

David Armstrong
10/28/2010

Here are the answers to “How he gets away with this behavior defies the imagination. Does he have someone's secret?” 1) There is no real leadership in the party. Where there is no leadership you will find all kinds of societal problems like indiscipline, corruption, crime, etc. 2) The govt. is too preoccupied with how to survive from the fallout of Dudusgate and 3) Because the political system has been corrupted from garrison constituencies it is hard for that body to rein him because if you can tolerate dons why can’t they tolerate him.

Ghengis Khan
10/28/2010

Mark Forbes, I completely agree with you. This publication's cartoonist is nothing more than a political pundit. Of course the PNP deserves it's fair share of criticism, but would a little balance kill you?

christopher Isaacs
10/28/2010

Mr Warmington exudes from most ofus the deepest form of comtemptious abhorrence and he has a penchant to be oberrant. Love him or hate him, he doesn't care so long as he get's you p...sd. Mr Warmington has induced his own form of psychological warfare on the media and has them running scared. Face observer et al and begin to milk the potential oppurtunity for some exiting and interesting news, a form of reverse psychology might work wonders. the present path taken will get you absolutely nowhere

christopher Isaacs
10/28/2010

Observer! this editorial should be aptly dubbed: The Editorial of Errors! First, it is not a rush-to- judgement to say that the particular Journalist who wrote several stories uncomplimentary to the Gov made errors without political motives. He authored the Emil George story, the Holness and several others. Second, Mr Warmington unwittingly makes the headlines because he does'nt care about the news. He is who he is and should be someone that the media should love to hate. Ubiquitious he is!!

Ann Smith
10/28/2010

The poor thing has no frame of reference. His boundaries have been eroded.

Eagle Eyes
10/28/2010

Tread Carefully.
" But then you, know, poor Mr Warmington, he has not a clue"
The following now becomes ambiguos and is/was unnecessary.,
". How he gets away with this behaviour defies the imagination. Does he have someone's secret?"

Mark Forbes
10/28/2010

I absolutely agree that Mr Warmington's behaviour leaves much to be desired BUT when are we going to get an apology for inflicting Clovis on the non-partisan and PNP readers? For instance, going by today's cartoon, either all the NHT houses were built in Portia's constituency, or the others are up to date on their mortgage payments?
Is a little fairness and balance that hard to achieve?

Everton Walker
10/28/2010

Why you guys picking so much on Steve Urkel, who seems to have the desire to wear the biggest glasses and have the biggest voice in Parliament. The guy definitely seem to have a complex. You sometimes have to allow persons to fall in their own pits they dug.

ESTEBAN AGOSTO REID
10/28/2010

Warmington can be summed up in three words; a total buffoon !!!

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GCT to go down, white rum prices going up

Poor Mr Warmington, he has not a clue