Story changes… Nation News self-censoring? Government running the Nation News?

by Not Taken

In BFP’s post “Canadian tourists robbed at gunpoint in room. Sex assault upon wife as husband held at gunpoint.” it was said “The Nation News has withdrawn the original story from its website – probably to try to limit the public relations damage for the Barbados Tourism Authority……..”

On Saturday April 20 I read an article  “New tourism boost“  at http://www.nationnews.com.

On Sunday April 21 I read an article  “$11m plan to boost tourism“  at http://www.nationnews.com.

Both articles covered the Minister of Tourism’s unveiling of the “Barbados Island Inclusive” programme to members of the media.

When I first read the article on Saturday, the Minister was quoted as saying something to the effect that “there really is nothing to be gained by counting the numbers of visitors disembarking from airplanes and cruise ship gangplanks in Barbados; but rather the important thing is how much money they spend when they are here.”

When I read the Sunday article, I was surprised that the comments about the numbers of visitors was excluded.  Of course it is not surprising that he does not want to talk about 9% declines.

So I revisited the Saturday article; and to my greater surprise those comments were no longer in the Saturday article.

Is it possible that the Minister or someone else in Government was able to have the article re-written to exclude those very strange comments that the numbers of visitors do not matter?  Is it possible that  knowing the MOF was to have his rather gloomy economic update/press conference yesterday, the PM decided that it would be inappropriate for MOT to be upbeat one week, when the MOF would be saying he is “disappointed” with the the state of the economy the next week.

Given that neither you nor our friend Adrian has been all over those comments, I am guessing they were deleted before either of you saw them.

Both articles, the Saturday April 20 one being apparently re-written from the one I originally saw are copied below.  Each had a different photo.  In the Saturday photo The Minister and his colleagues all appear to be searching for an answer somewhere in their papers.

The Sunday article also excludes the following, which was in the Saturday issue.

“For example selected vendors at Oistins will be able to participate,” he said.

Sealy said 15 eating places have signed on for the programme adding the list as ‘not exhaustive’.

It is all very confusing

Not Taken

New tourism boost

SAT, APRIL 20, 2013 – 5:51 PM
Barbados will invest  $11 million on a new tourism product, ‘Barbados Island Inclusive’.

BBC bribery allegations a distraction in the Harlequin scandal

Let’s assume that the BBC reporter did try to bribe a Harlequin employee… SO WHAT?

A BBC Panorama staffer has been sacked after Harlequin alleged that the BBC employee approached a Harlequin employee with bribes in return for information. BBC is reporting the staffer to the police so it looks like there might be something to the allegations… or maybe not. Ya never know the truth of these things really until they are over and even then you wonder.

But let’s say that the BBC staffer did exactly what is alleged… offered a job to Harlequin’s security chief in exchange for information. Maybe that is against the law, maybe not… but it doesn’t have a damn thing to do with what happened in the last six years with Harlequin.

Trust me on this folks… Harlequin will make the big noise about this, and make the most of it…

… but it doesn’t change a damned thing about Harlequin taking money and promising to build thousands of homes and building practically nothing.

Don’t be too concerned about this BBC happening. Keep your eye focused on the main event: Where is the money, where are the vacation homes?

BBC Panorama producer resigns after developer’s ‘bribery’ allegation

Harlequin says it will to go to the police over claim attempt was made to bribe security consultant to disclose information.

The producer at the centre of Panorama bribery allegations has left the BBC as it emerged that Harlequin, the luxury Caribbean property developer that lodged the complaint with the corporation, is to take its grievance to the police.

Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves: How many travel writers will you jail?

St. Vincent’s racist Prime Minister is on the record very upset that two BBC journalists ‘snuck’ into the country by telling Immigration authorities they were visiting as tourists when they were really working on a story about Harlequin and Dave Ames. Had the BBC journalists been filming a feel-good travel or investment article, Gonsalves wouldn’t have had a problem with them.

Too bad the BBC story was about how Harlequin collected hundreds of millions of pounds from British pensioners but only built a handful of promised holiday homes before running out of money.

Gonsalves threatened that Panorama tele-journalists Paul Kenyon and Mathew Hill committed crimes punishable by imprisonment.

No word on what PM Gonsalves thinks about Harlequin’s Ponzi scheme, but he is sure upset at the reporters for mentioning it!

How dare dem bloody reporters come snooping around and then expose the story of how SVG  and its politicians let a twice-bankrupt double glazing salesman get away with using the country to promote a pyramid scheme!

One problem though: does Prime Minister Gonsalves intend to apply the same rules to every travel journalist who comes to SVG as a tourist and then writes nice things about the island? Or is Gonsalves only concerned about the law when investigative journalists expose the truth?

If Prime Minister Gonsalves wants to put some journalists in jail he should start with every travel and finance writer who took a free trip from Harlequin and declared they were on holiday when they arrived in SVG. They are the ones who printed the flowery stories that set the trap for thousands of trusting Britons to lose their pensions. If any journalists deserve jail, it is that bunch.

Of course, it’s a good thing that the BBC journalists are of the white race because Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves is probably going soft on them. You see, Ralph Gonsalves is a racist who dislikes mulattos and brown people – and said so.

Further Reading

I-Witness News Citing possible jail time, BBC reporters staying away from SVG

Cartoon: SVG journalist Kenton X. Chance with PM Gonsalves. See BFP’s More WikiLeaks hit the fan!

Cuban journalist jailed for reporting Cholera Epidemic in Cuba

Calixto Ramón Martínez Arias still in prison

Rumours of changes to the iron fisted ‘peoples’ government of Cuba are greatly exaggerated as we learn that a Cuban journalist languishes in prison for (gasp) reporting about cholera and dengue epidemics in Cuba.

Martinez’s ‘mistake’ was that he reported in June 2012 that Manzanillo officials were hiding a cholera epidemic from the public. (Hey… wouldn’t want to hurt the tourist business, would we?)

Every once in a while you think things are improving, but then you are dragged back to reality. The Cuban people must be free: and that doesn’t mean back to being a puppet of the USA or Russia or China. Freedom means: freedom for individuals and freedom for the country to determine their own paths. And for journalists to report on matters of public interest.

Feliz Navidad to Calixto Ramón Martínez Aria. We’ll say a prayer for you and your friend Alexander Roberto Fernández Rico.

Reprinted from wefightcensorship.org. Please go to their website to read the full article Radio Silence on Cholera Epidemic?

Radio Silence on Cholera Epidemic?

Calixto Ramón Martínez Arias, a journalist who works for Hablemos Press, a Havana-based independent information centre, was arrested on 16 September 2012 after writing about cholera and dengue epidemics in Cuba. Two months later, he managed to call Hablemos Press from Havana’s Combinado del Este prison, defying an order by the prison authorities forbidding him to use the phone. During the call, which Hablemos Press recorded, he talked about the degrading conditions inside the prison. After the call, the Hablemos Press phone line was temporarily disconnected and Martínez was placed in solitary confinement. But the Combinado del Este’s political prisoners have managed to keep the outside world informed about his plight.

International Press Institute reports how Barbados politicians lied about Integrity Legislation, Freedom of Information, Defamation law changes

Prime Minister Freundel Stuart and his DLP promised Integrity Legislation. They lied. That was a slimy thing to do!

UPDATED: January 22, 2013 (pinned to top. scroll down for newer)

Have another read of this folks and remember that the promised Integrity Legislation will not become law before the next election.

Time to vote for ANY INDEPENDENT!

Here’s our original story first published October 15, 2012….

Lying corrupt DLP, BLP politicians will not pass Integrity Legislation

The just-released International Press Institute report on Barbados tells the sad history of how the DLP – Democratic Labour Party lied about Integrity Legislation just to get elected. The report is dated last June, 2012 and now that we are well into the political campaign for the next election we know the truth: there will be no Integrity Legislation put forward by the governing DLP. It was all a sham to get elected in 2008.

“The government and the population know that Barbados’ Defamation Act is a relic of the colonial past and that it hinders freedom of expression. IPI believes that when the country’s politicians are aware of the situation and have already attempted to change it, half of the work is done. We are optimistic that there is still enough time before the January 2013 elections to implement the new legislation.

While several news outlets now say that the people in Barbados were misled and that the Freedom of Information, Defamation and Integrity Legislation is an outstanding debt, IPI believes that public opinion can be changed. Barbados’ leaders have the opportunity not only to change these reports, but also to make history, as those who make this decision will have ushered in a more free, transparent, and democratic country.”

… the last two paragraphs of the Report on the IPI Advocacy Mission to End Criminal Defamation in Barbados (PDF here)

Former BLP Attorney General confirms no plans for Integrity Legislation

Barbadian voters remember former BLP Attorney General Dale Marshall as the one who hilariously gave a clean bill of health to VECO’s operations in Barbados after a 25 minute conversation with representatives of the company. This was after a series of scandals showed that Alaska-based VECO used bribery of politicians as a standard operating procedure to obtain government contracts.

The Owen Arthur led BLP government awarded VECO the contract for the new Dodds Prison even though the company had never built a prison before. Everything was done in secret and that’s the way Dale Marshall, Owen Arthur, Mia Mottley and the BLP like it.

KFC Barbados and Ian Bourne’s Bajan Reporter: the subjects of BFP’s 5,000th post

This is it folks – Post number Five Thousand

Maybe we should have done up something special to reflect back on five thousand posts in almost seven years, over 110,000 comments by readers, over 13 million visitors and that one special day when 44,087 people stopped by Barbados Free Press and read about how our corrupt Prime Minister Owen Arthur got caught depositing a $75,000 campaign donation cheque into his personal bank account.

Instead, we thought we’d thank KFC for setting up free WiFi in seven of their thirteen restaurants because it is all the free and unprotected WiFi hotspots around this rock that have allowed us to do what we do for so many years. Without free WiFi we couldn’t bring Barbados Free Press to the people.

And we thank Ian Bourne and Bajan Reporter for bringing those KFC WiFi spots to our attention.

Back in 1837 William Cullen Bryant wrote the following as he sought to defend the rights of abolitionists to free speech. His words are as true today as they were then:

“The right to discuss freely and openly, by speech, by the pen, by the press, all political questions, and to examine and animadvert (speak out) upon all political institutions, is a right so clear and certain, so interwoven with our other liberties, so necessary, in fact to their existence, that without it we must fall at once into depression or anarchy. To say that he who holds unpopular opinions must hold them at the peril of his life, and that, if he expresses them in public, he has only himself to blame if they who disagree with him should rise and put him to death, is to strike at all rights, all liberties, all protection of the laws, and to justify and extenuate all crimes.”

Afra Raymond: I will not be stopped!

“It is a wonder that you are continuing to write these articles Mr. Raymond. Have you received any pressure to stop? If only our Bajan journalists had your integrity and courage.”

Barbados Free Press reader WSD comments on Afra Raymond’s article CL Financial bailout “a major failure on any scale”

In response to a reader’s concern for his safety, journalist Afra Raymond replies:

Readers,

I am going to continue on my course, this is an epic crisis, being the single largest episode of corruption in our region’s history, so it is essential that the few of us keep on informing the public and agitating for Economic and Social Justice in this matter.

I am independent enough to maintain these efforts – no one is ever absolutely independent in our small societies – and it is a painful reflection in this, our 50th year of T&T’s Independence, that our leading institutions, academies and thinkers have remained resolutely silent in the face of this tidal wave of ‘commesse’ and ‘bobol’. It does make me wonder what was the ultimate purpose of all the sacrifice of our foreparents who struggled for liberation from colonialism, education and self-determination. What was that all for?

It is a disturbing measure of the depth of the corruption in all the western democracies that so few of the main players in this global meltdown have actually been imprisoned, but that is an issue for another column in this series.

My rallying call is -

SILENCE IS THE ENEMY OF PROGRESS!

Thanks for your support

Afra Raymond
www.afraraymond.com

Vogue, Daily Mail, New York Magazine and other major publications credit Barbados Free Press

Welcome to our thousands of new visitors from around the world!

Barbados Free Press has been mentioned or credited over the years in stories by CNN, BBC, Forbes, USA Today, New York Times and a host of other newspapers and broadcasters from as far away as India and Australia – which is about as far away as you can get from this rock. Sometimes a mention brings a few more visitors and sometimes a whole lot more visitors. Our best day ever was 44,087 visitors to the blog while our best month ever was 442,381 visitors during the short month of February 2010 – a month that brought a ‘perfect storm’ of news stories and mentions not likely to be repeated…

‘Not likely to be repeated’ … at least that’s what we thought until a few hours ago.

Today the Daily Mail, Mail Online, New York Magazine, Vogue and other major publications are crediting Barbados Free Press as the source for their stories. Our thanks to mainstream journalism for properly crediting BFP.

Daily Mail: What, no bikini? Caribbean cutie Rihanna bathes in a sundress as she becomes the official face of Barbados.

New York Magazine: Who Cares About Nivea When Rihanna’s Got Barbados?

British Vogue: Flying the Flag – Rihanna is Face of Barbados, Tourism Ambassador

Bajan Reporter, Barbados Free Press, targets of hacking and social engineering attempts

The Bajan Reporter online magazine is reporting numerous failed hacking attempts aimed at logging into the system and taking over the website. Editor Ian Bourne (above) calmly wonders who would be trying to take down his website. Could it be friends of a certain government minister? Could it be friends of a certain entertainer?

For the last few weeks we too have been experiencing the same types of hacking attempts at the Barbados Free Press website and at our email addresses. There have also been some fairly sophisticated social engineering attempts that we won’t fully describe at this time.

Interestingly enough, we also see former Prime Minister Owen Arthur recently criticizing The Nation newspaper in a speech posted at YouTube.

All we can say is… elections are approaching, the stakes are high and right now it looks like it could go either way: DLP or BLP. We believe that the hacking attempts against The Bajan Reporter and Barbados Free Press are being done with a purpose in mind. Yup: elections are approaching.

Barbados Attorney General admits Integrity Legislation is dead, dead, dead

Integrity Legislation has no chance and Adriel Brathwaite knows it!

Hey folks:

The Bajan news media isn’t carrying the real story. The Nation and the rest are repeating the government line like they rely upon the government advertising to survive…

Oh… wait… The mainstream Bajan news outlets do rely upon government advertising to survive! Do you think that impacts their editorial decisions? We think it does and that any citizen can see that our news media isn’t giving us the truth. Here at BFP we say that the Bajan news media sold their souls a long time ago and consequently the public is fed a version of the news that is less than citizens deserve.

Attorney General Adrel Brathwaite says:

“Legislatively, we have the anti-corruption legislation which is before a joint committee of Parliament. We had promised that we would have that done before the end of the year. It’s my hope that we can get it within a month or two.”

… from the Nation article AG spells out crime plans

Listen, Brathwaite: that’s a lie. Your government said they would put forth the anti-corruption legislation four years ago – within 100 days of being elected.

So your statement is a big fat lie. Liar.

Now let’s talk about what happens even if your government passes the integrity legislation in the next few months: It will never be proclaimed as law before the next election because it will die in the Senate. You know this, you liar. You know this legislation will never become law. You also know the Freedom of Information legislation that you promised is rotting in its grave. The conflict of interest rules and Code of Conduct that the DLP promised to implement from day one were the first two promises to die.

Liar.

Integrity Legislation is four years and more past due. It is dead, dead, dead.

Liar.

Here’s what Brathwaite told the Nation. Please read it at their website, but we have to reprint the whole thing here because the paper has a history of deleting articles to change history. Too bad…

AG spells out crime plans

A drug court is on the cards and anti-corruption legislation may be agreed in a month or two. Just as important, says Attorney General Adriel Brathwaite, the Government is moving on legislation to boost the offshore international sector which has been hit by competition from Bermuda, the Cayman Islands and The Bahamas.

He also dealt with crime, the Police Force and complaints against lawyers in an interview with THE NATION’s North American Correspondent Tony Best in New York last week.

What are some of the things you want to get done before the next election?

Brathwaite: Legislatively, we have the anti-corruption legislation which is before a joint committee of Parliament. We had promised that we would have that done before the end of the year. It’s my hope that we can get it within a month or two.

Barbados Health Minister attacks journalist over questions about Minister’s porn business profiteering

Donville Inniss narrowly avoids defamation lawsuit with immediate retraction

Minister of Health Donville Inniss verbally attacked Barbadian journalist Ian Bourne last Friday before a public audience at the Unity Bar Lunchtime Lecture.

Minister Inniss falsely accused Bourne “You have a big blog site that is full of nasty (stories)” but then immediately withdrew the comment as a strategic move after having put Bourne down to the laughter of the stacked DLP audience. It was a dishonest move that lacked integrity, but it works in a room full of party supporters.

The audio recording of the event reveals that Inniss did not apologize, and he laughed derisively at the journalist along with many in the pro DLP audience. The derision has become the standard reply by Inniss and the DLP to defuse what should be, what would be, a major political scandal and a major news story in any nation with a free and determined news media.

If Mitt Romney had his name on ‘Orgasm.com’ or some of the other Inniss-related porn sites, can you imagine what the world’s news media would do?

In Barbados the news media is too cowardly or complicit to even mention the story despite the fact that the evidence is still available online to the public as well as the news media.

News blackout on the Donville Inniss porn business story

The recent defamation and derision by Minister Inniss stems from Ian Bourne’s private and respectful question to the Health Minister on July 7, 2011 about posts on Barbados Free Press exposing the Minister’s connections to online porn. (See links at end of story)

Mr. Bourne privately and respectfully asked Minister Inniss:

“Donville – I am sorry to disturb you but there are wild allegations as you may be aware of, concerning your alleged connection to a number of websites with pornographic connotations. EG: Youngntender.net, orgasm.com & nakednews.com among others. Can we do an Interview where the public has your side of the story? Please advise ASAP…”

Donville Inniss replied:

“come on Ian”

Mr. Bourne answered:

“What does this mean? Nothing wrong in dispelling rumours, it shows proactivity on your part to air your perspective on the matter…”

… For the entire story of Journalist Ian Bourne’s interaction with Health Minister Donville Inniss about the porno business connections, read Bajan Reporter’s piece: BARBADOS CABINET MINISTER ATTACKS “BAJAN REPORTER” AT DLP STRONGHOLD – MAKES FALSE ACCUSATION WITH NO APOLOGY!

Minister Donville Inniss refuses to talk about this subject – because he knows it is true.

Starting in 2011, Barbados Free Press published a series of articles showing the long term connections between Inniss and the online porn business.

Barbados Free Press republishes deleted Harlequin news story

Why was this Harlequin news story removed by Echo-news.co.uk ?

BFP readers supply over 30 copies of deleted Harlequin news story

As BFP reported yesterday, Echo’s news story ‘Wickford man at the centre of storm in the Caribbean property market‘ by investigative journalist Jon Austin was deleted from the internet the day after it was published in the dead-tree edition, and within hours of being posted online.

This deletion of internet content fits right in with our observation last week that articles critical of Harlequin are disappearing. In some cases entire websites have disappeared.

Barbados Free Press has received legal advice concerning our use of a news story originally published on Tuesday, July 10, 2012 by echo-news.co.uk on pages 14 and 15 of their dead tree edition, and on Wednesday, July 11, 2012 on the internet.

This is of vital interest to Bajans due to freedom of the press issues, and also of interest to those investors who have very legitimate questions about why so few units have been completed throughout the Harlequin projects list, why the construction is not following the schedules communicated earlier by Mr. David Ames and where and how investors’ money is being spent.

“There are also serious public questions about the Harlequin’s relationships with various officials and why certain governments have, among other unusual decisions, allowed Harlequin to get away with not filing financial statements as required by law for periods of up to four years.”

This is of special concern to Barbadians as our country has no Integrity Legislation, no Freedom of Information and no Conflicts of Interests rules for public officials: this despite 30 years of promises by various DLP and BLP governments.

There seems to be a concerted effort to prevent serious, in-depth public discussion about issues surrounding Harlequin, its operations, finances, and its relationships with politicians in various countries. That is bad for freedom of the press, transparency and accountability. It is also bad for democracy.

Our legal advice is that BFP is allowed to publish the Echo article in full to review and discuss the content, and the takedown. Especially in the absence of Integrity and transparency laws in Barbados, both the content of the news article and the circumstances of its removal from the internet are of vital public interest that supersedes any copyright issues.

BFP and our readers recognize that any allegations in the article are unproven, and we invite representatives from Harlequin to join in the discussion to correct or clarify any inaccuracies. If Harlequin so desires, BFP will publish any response or communications from the company with due respect and prominence as we have done before for Harlequin and others.

For discussion:

Why was this story removed by Echo-news.co.uk?

Are there any inaccuracies or omissions in the news story?

Readers, please feel free to use the comment section to discuss these questions and others that are of vital public interest.

Thank you!

Our sincere gratitude to the over 30 readers who sent us copies of the Echo-news.co.uk news article ‘Wickford man at the centre of storm in the Caribbean property market’

Here is the story. Class; discuss! …

Wickford man at the centre of storm in the Caribbean property market

Wednesday 11th July 2012
By Jon Austin

A SOUTH Essex businessman is at the centre of a political storm in the Caribbean where his firm is striving to develop a series of luxury holiday resorts.

The Harlequin group – run by David Ames from Brock Hill, Wickford – has become a political football in St Vincent, home to the company’s partially-open resort.

The Basildon-based firm is meant to be building six resorts in the Caribbean and one in Brazil.

In April, an Echo investigation revealed some of the 6,000 people who invested in the resorts wanted deposits refunded due to delays to some projects.

Now some investors have launched court claims in St Vincent in a bid to win back their cash.

At the same time staff, contractors and suppliers, working at Harlequin’s flagship Buccament Bay resort, are also taking action through the courts amid claims they haven’t been paid for several weeks.

The firm also hasn’t filed any accounts in St Vincent for the past four years, meaning investors cannot track what has happened to their cash, which has been sent overseas to build properties.

Harlequin Property in St Vincent, which owns Buccament Bay, could be struck off in the country if it fails to bring records up to date.

Mr Ames, 60, who said he was recently made a citizen of St Vincent and has the backing of the ruling Unity Labour Party, vehemently denied allegations staff were not being paid. The claims have been raised in the Vincentian parliament.

He said all resort staff were being paid on time and it was down to individual contractors to pay workers.

The business, which has a marketing office in Honeywood Road, Basildon, has so far built around 300 out of 1,120 units at Buccament Bay, with work yet to start in earnest on other resorts.

Opposition politicians from the New Democratic Party of St Vincent said at least eight claims – including some lodged by unpaid workers as well as investors – are going to court.

The party’s leader Arhnim Eustace called on the government to ensure payments were made to local contractors and employees.

He told the Echo: “I am aware a number of local contractors who say they have not been paid have filed cases in the court. This includes local contractors, workers and a supplier of vegetables.”

He said amounts claimed in cases varied, but at least one involved an alleged unpaid amount of £118,000.

Police target citizen journalists

The above video makes some good points about how police in the USA are targeting citizen journalists with illegal arrest and even acts of unprovoked violence. Dangerous business for individual freedoms – great for a police state.

The irony of the video is that it is put together by RT TV – Russia Today Television – owned by the Russian Government, and it of course doesn’t mention how Mr. Putin and the other big-ups from the KGB have for almost a hundred years targeted and murdered journalists as casually as one would order a cup of coffee. Nice touch for RT TV to make the piece about US police while ignoring the KGB or whatever they are called today.

But, it’s still interesting and worthwhile viewing.

A further point found on RT TV’s Wikipedia entry: “The 2012 Russian Federal Budget allocated 11 billion rubles (US$334 million) to RT’s parent company ANO TV-Novosti.”

Also of interest: Media Roots: The Establishment vs. Citizen Journalism

Thanks to an old friend for suggesting this video.

Echo-news.co.uk takes down major Harlequin investigative report. Why?

Ladies and gentlemen,

One of our readers recently commented on a BFP article about the Harlequin Hotels & Resorts situation and left a link to the Echo Newspaper in the United Kingdom. The July 10, 2012 Echo News article was titled “Wickford man at the centre of storm in the Caribbean property market“, and was a “SPECIAL INVESTIGATION by JON AUSTIN”

If you click on the link above you’ll see that the article is no longer there. This fits right in with our observation last week that Anti-Harlequin websites are disappearing.

Can we say “libel chill” ?

What was wrong with the Echo article? Surely the paper had their legal experts review it before it was published. We saw the article and intended to to a story about it, but alas, we failed to copy it at the time and now it’s gone from online. It was only there for a short time and even Google doesn’t have it in the cache.

So what is to be done?

Aha! We’re asking our readers around the world to forward copies of the article to BFP. 

Someone out there has a copy of the printed dead tree version that they can scan for us. Perhaps someone else made a PDF from the online article. Whatever you have, please send it and BFP we will dissect the article and see if we can determine why it was taken down.

I remember reading in the article that Harlequin hadn’t filed the required financial statements in St. Vincent for the last FOUR YEARS.

This is of vital interest to Bajans due to freedom of the press, and also of interest to those investors who have very legitimate questions about why so few units have been completed throughout the Harlequin projects list, and why the construction is not following the schedules communicated earlier by Mr. David Ames.

If the investigative reporter from the Echo would contact us and tell us what is going on, we’d appreciate that too. Mr. Austin, how about sending us an email at barbadosfreepress (at @) yahoo.com

Cowardly Barbados Advocate fires another journalist to please a politician

Rawle Titus fired from Grenada Advocate

When Tourism Minister Noel Lynch threatened to withdraw all government advertising from the Barbados Advocate unless the paper fired columnist Adrian Loveridge, the editor and senior management said “Yes, Massa – whatever you want Massa” and dumped Loveridge.

Now those cowards at Fontabelle are at it again…

Grenada, Barbados: The Fallout over Journalist’s Firing

by Matthew Hunte

As another regional journalist pays the price for standing by his story, bloggers are wondering about the state of press freedom in the Caribbean. Rawle Titus -veteran journalist and president of the Media Workers Association of Grenada since 2008- was dismissed from his post as editor of the Grenada Advocate after he refused to retract or apologize for a front-page story in the March 9th edition of the newspaper headlined “Prime Minister Makes Fresh Moves.” (The Grenada Advocate is owned and published by the Advocate Publishers (2000) Inc, based in Fontabelle, St. Michael, Barbados.)

According to the story, leader of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) and Prime Minister of Grenada, Tillman Thomas, held a caucus where candidates for the upcoming elections were selected, without informing senior members of the now fractious party.

Government press secretary (and former journalist) Richard Simon wrote to the management in Barbados twice, seeking a retraction for what were deemed to be inaccuracies. After the 2nd letter, Titus was dismissed by General Manager Sandra Clarke, effective March 30th, 2012.

According to the MWAG, the Advocate was pressured into firing Titus and added:

We have growing concerns about increasing incidents that will suggest that those guarantees are coming under attack. This latest incident follows a series of other developments we have been monitoring in the past.

… continue reading this post at GlobalVoices: Grenada, Barbados: The Fallout over Journalist’s Firing

Hat tip to journalist Gerard Best for the video of Rawle Titus

Trinidad & Tobago government’s war on the news media

A timeline of events within the People’s Partnership period…

“I am seeing these events as a sinister pattern and we need to recognise that now.“

by Afra Raymond

• Afra Raymond fired from CNMG. My contract with CNMG was as a Commentator with a one-hour current affairs program to be aired alternative Sundays and weekly editorial slots on Friday mornings as part of the ‘First Up’ program.  – 4th November 2010 – see either Caribbean New Media Group fires journalist Afra Raymond, stops his CL Financial, CLICO fraud coverage or ‘Termination of Services‘ or Afra Raymond let go from CNMG

• Fazeer Mohammed fired from CNMG.  Fazeer was the popular co-Host of the leading breakfast TV show ‘First Up’.  6th November 2010 – see FIRED!

• TnT Mirror and I95.5FM are subjected to an embargo in respect of State advertisement – both these outlets have been identified as being strongly critical of the present Peoples Partnership government – see State firms using ads to punish  – MATT issues a statement – Minister of Foreign Affairs and Communications denies the existence of the advertising embargo.

• Marcia Henville suspended from 102.1FM in August 2011.  Marcia was the outspoken livewire who led a highly-popular drivetime talk-show examining current affairs.

Trinidad: Police storm newspaper offices, journalist’s home

Snapshots from the battle for press freedom

Police seize Andre Bagoo’s computers, phones, flash drives

Nine police officers raided the Newsday offices and journalist Andre Bagoo’s home on Wednesday – seizing at least four computers, two mobile phones and several external storage drives. The police say they are looking for evidence of Bagoo’s sources for his December 20, 2011 story about the row between Integrity chairman Ken Gordon and deputy chairman Gladys Gafoor.

Of course, now that the police have EVERYTHING on Bagoo’s computers they will have a look at EVERYTHING, won’t they? Emails, love letters, shopping lists, contacts list, financial records, photos, sources for every story Bagoo has ever written – little things like that.

The latest attack in the Trinidad police campaign to muzzle a free press comes two months after a similar raid on TV6 last December.

The lesson is that if the Trinidad news media won’t self regulate (as the Guardian did causing journalist Afra Raymond to resign in disgust) then the Trinidad & Tobago police will teach the Trini press to know their place.

We’ve had our own problems here in Barbados with the police strong-arming journalists, seizing their cameras and arresting journalists for photographing accident scenes and corrupt police officers. As a society we must be vigilant and aggressive about preserving the independence and freedom of the press. History has too many examples of what happens when citizens drop their guard.

Photo courtesy of Newsday: Journalist Andre Bagoo, centre in white shirt, surrounded by officers of the Anti-Corruption Investigations Bureau (ACIB) as they search his computer in an attempt to get him to reveal the source of information in a report he wrote on the Integrity Commission.

Further Reading

Newsday Statement

Newsday:  Shame!

Newsday: Newsday raid shocks AG

Trinidad Express: Police storm ‘Newsday’ offices in PoS

Trinidad Express: Cops want interviews with CCN directors

Trinidad Express: Newspaper stands by journalist not to reveal sources

Guardian: Tribunal to probe Gafoor

Newsday Statement, February 10, 2012

NEWSDAY condemns in the strongest possible language, yesterday’s raid by officers of the Anti-Corruption Investigations Bureau (ACIB) on our Newsroom at 23A Chacon Street, Port- of-Spain and at the private residence in Belmont of this newspaper’s senior investigative parliamentary and political reporter, Andre Bagoo.

The police officers led by Senior Superintendent Solomon Koon Koon, executed a warrant and searched Mr Bagoo’s desk in our newsroom, went through his office computer, all documents on his desk, including parliamentary papers and other information used in the course of his duties.

After two hours they left our Chacon Street newsroom, taking with them two flash drives, one Newsday cellphone issued to Mr Bagoo, his personal cellphone and Newsday’s computer hard drive on which Mr Bagoo has stored confidential information relating to his duties.

Bajan Reporter oversteps criticism of Barbados news media

Journalist Ian Bourne

Journalist Ian Bourne of the Bajan Reporter breaks many news stories and covers subjects and perspectives that the old school news media can’t or won’t touch. He’s been inside the professional news industry and knows about the agendas, ethical trade-offs and outright prostitution of the Barbados news media to the political and monied elites.

Ian has been severely handled by news media employers when he refused to look the other way about unethical activities. It takes integrity, courage and dedication to stand for something when you know it will cost you your job. All respect to Ian.

So Ian has the knowledge and the right to criticize the Bajan news media – but this time we’re wondering if he’s off the mark a bit. Not entirely off the mark as you’ll see, but stretching it.

In the Bajan Reporter’s new article Elements of Barbados Media seek to muzzle Bajan Reporter; other segments use story without Permission Mr. Bourne is upset that he asked the Prime Minister a question at a press conference, and other journalists and media used the PM’s answer without attributing the question to Ian and the Bajan Reporter.

I’m not a professional journalist, never claimed to be, but I can’t remember ever reading a CNN, CBC or BBC story where it mentioned something like “President Obama answered a question by a rival news network reporter and said…” In other words, BBC doesn’t say “CNN asked a question and we’re reporting the answer given by the President.”

So Ian is off the mark in thinking that the Barbados Advocate and the Nation should say which rival reporter asked the question. That’s what I think.

Justified criticism of the Barbados oldstream news media

Ian’s latest article makes many good points about the oldstream news media stealing his stories, quotes and ideas (and they do that all the time!). He also makes a good point that the regular news media tries to squeeze out Bajan Reporter and other independents at press conferences.

He’s off the mark though when he says the news media should be crediting him for asking a question where the answer is heard by everyone attending a press conference.

Professional journalists – please tell us about the rules and typical practice…

Should The Nation and the Barbados Advocate have told their readers that Prime Minister Stuart was responding to a question from Ian Bourne of Bajan Reporter?

Marcus