UNIVERSITY of the West Indies lecturer Dr Clinton Hutton has chided local entertainment journalists for lacking knowledge of their field.

Hutton, a lecturer in political philosophy, Caribbean and African Diasporic Cultural Aesthetics, spoke Wednesday at the launch of Dr Dennis Howard’s book, Rantin Inside the Dancehall, at Devon House in St Andrew.

“What is the role of entertainment in the society? How well do they know the field in the culture of arts? To what extent is the entertainment journalist familiar with the creative agenda of the country?” were some of the questions Hutton posed during his presentation.

He argued that development of the arts require serious critique and analysis which is absent in local media.

“There are profound lessons to be learned from the creative industry and it is the role of the entertainment journalist to articulate them,” he said. “Some of the best writings on Jamaican music are not by trained journalists and this is where I get to Dennis Howard. They (entertainment reporters) can learn much from Dennis.”

A nine-chapter book, Rantin From Inside The Dancehall is a compilation of articles and columns written by Howard, mostly for the Jamaica Observer.

Howard spoke about his reason for releasing the book.

“Just to bring a fresh perspective to entertainment journalism, Jamaican culture and music in general. The compilation has many aspects to it. It is biographical, it’s historical, it’s analytical. Some of the articles are very funny and hilarious,” he explained.

Rantin From Inside the Danchall is the first of three books by the new author.

The others, according to Howard, are academic tomes.

— Basil Walters