I am a graduate of the Caribbean Institute of Media and Communication (CARIMAC) and currently pursuing postgraduate studies in the field of political communications. I make reference to this because in my exposures to the field of communication, the issue of fairness and balance as a journalist or any media practitioner is of fundamental import.

Indeed, the late Professor Aggrey Brown indicated to those of us who sat at his feet that objectivity for the journalist is difficult to achieve because we are dealing with matters relating to people, but what we have to aspire for is “fairness”. Fairness is achieved when we give the subject(s) an opportunity to put forward his/her case and leave the public to make a determination of the truth.

On Sunday, May 23, 2015 a column written by Balford Henry in the Jamaica Observer related a matter which took place in the Senate on Friday, May 21, 2015 without giving me the opportunity, as president of the Senate, to respond. In this column, Henry reported that I prevented Senator Kamina Johnson Smith from asking questions relating to children and youth without giving her any explanations as to why. This is absolutely untrue and not in keeping with good journalistic practice.

I received the questions in an e-mail from Senator Johnson Smith on Friday morning, and I spoke to the clerk of the Parliament, Heather Cooke, about the matter and told her that I would review the questions and make a decision on them for the following sitting.

I wanted to get the opportunity to go through the questions in detail and satisfy myself with these questions because I have been accused by members of the media and colleague senators of allowing members to ask questions that have no right to be in the Senate.

As president, I have been very lenient with members in asking questions and tabling motions.

I was told by the clerk that she informed Senator Johnson Smith of my plan of action. Still, Senator Johnson Smith, in a disrespectful manner, stood up to ask the questions when I was going through the Order Paper. I correctly stopped her from asking the questions because, at that time, I never approved or disapproved the questions she had submitted.

The Standing Orders require that I have to sign off on these questions and motions before they are tabled. Senator Johnson Smith is aware of this because she has a copy of the Standing Orders.

Henry spoke to Senator Johnson Smith and never had the decency to contact me on the matter. I am one who is available to the media to deal with any matter relating to my responsibilities and will continue to do so. No attempt to contact me was made, however, and I believe that this is a violation of a fundamental principle of journalism that requires the journalist to give credence to all parties. Henry has erred fundamentally on this report and it should be corrected. I am taking the opportunity to set the record straight.

Section 15 (1) of the Standing Orders (SO) states: “A question shall not be asked without notice, unless it is of any urgent character or relates to the business of the day and the member has obtained the leave of the president to ask it.” I never gave the member leave to ask the questions.

Standing Order 16 (1) further adumbrates: “The right to ask a question shall be subject to the following general rules, as to the interpretation of which the president shall be the sole judge.”

The Standing Orders give the ultimate responsibility to the president in these matters and go on to list the conditions for asking questions.

Finally, the Standing Orders state in 16 (2): “If the president is of the opinion that any question of which a member has given notice to the clerk infringes the provisions of any Standing Order, or is in any way an abuse of the right of questioning, he may direct:-

a) that the member concerned be informed that the question is out of order; or

b) that the question be entered in the Order Book with such alterations as he may direct.”

I will forever be guided by the Standing Orders and not by a journalist with his or her personal biases. The profession of journalism is a noble one and has my maximum respect, and those who are engaged in such a craft must be fair and balanced.

Senator Floyd Morris is president of the Senate.