Dear Editor,

I would like to congratulate the

Jamaica Observer team for the quality of coverage during and after the 2016 General Election. However, I offer my praise in a particular context. For the past four years, I have been a dedicated listener of a particular radio station. Upon realising the lack of ethical standard in its coverage and the obvious bias of its reporters, I switched listenership. I was quite disappointed that this happened on a station owned by a graduate of the renowned Caribbean Institute of Media and Communication who one expects should understand the importance of ethical considerations during reporting and holding his reporters accountable to these standards. I understand fully that reporters, as human beings, can hold political preferences. However, human dignity and journalistic standards dictate that a reporter ought to state the bias so that viewers can weigh, for themselves, the credibility of their reporting.

During the election coverage, despite the obvious bias, the reporters, including the said trained graduate, passed themselves off as balanced. That is not what the media stands for. The lack of adherence to ethical considerations is an opportunity for the media and press associations to shift their focus to maintaining the reputation of their profession. The actions by these few reporters only serve to create a trust deficit towards the Jamaican media.

I also encourage the media houses to invest in professional development of reporters to apprise them of the expectations of individuals who present themselves as journalists.

Again, thank you all for your superb and refreshing coverage.

Monica Brown

Montego Bay, St James

mediabrown1@yahoo.com