Nicholas Cox asks “Where’s the professionalism?” but leaves out his own profession

In his latest column at the Barbados Advocate, Mr. Cox is aghast (and rightly so) that Barbados police officers, lawyers, and bus drivers – people we should be able to depend on to do the right thing – are being hauled before the courts for wrongdoing up to and including rape, kidnapping, major thefts and [...]

What did Robert Hoffman know about Sir Allen Stanford’s crimes, and when did he know it?

Journalist started Antigua Sun newspaper for Crooked Sir Allen
Here is a book I’d love to read – because I want to know if author Robert Hoffman comes clean about how he personally started up Sir Allen’s Antigua Sun newspaper that was used to bait the trap for the suckers who trusted Stanford with their [...]

Which DLP Government Official wrote this Barbados Advocate Editorial? (or should we say “this DLP Advertisement”?)

“… At present, the government is doing all it can to improve road safety and traffic flow. However no improvement will have any effect if Barbadians continue to drive reckless!”
… from the Barbados Advocate newspaper editorial Slow Down!
The Barbados Advocate declares war on criticism of the DLP Thompson Government
That’s it folks. No further comment is [...]

Terry Schwarzfeld Tourist Murder: Preliminary Hearing Begins against accused Curtis Joel Foster

Widower of Murder Victim Schwarzfeld complains he is kept in the dark about trial
The Canadian news outlets are reporting that the preliminary hearing in the Terry Schwarzfeld tourist murder started today in Bridgetown, Barbados. Bajan Curtis Joel Foster is charged in the February 2009 robbery and murder of the Canadian tourist.
None of the Barbados [...]

Barbados Advocate ‘Yellow Journalism’ Editorial Ignores the Truth: Hartley Henry carried out his threat at Barbados Underground

WARNING: MATURE CONTENT – Discussion of alleged intimate acts
Tell your neighbours, Tell your friends about the Lie in The Barbados Advocate

It is really very simple, folks. Let’s review what happened step by step…
1/ August 23, 2009 – An article at the Nation News is published accusing the PM’s senior advisor, Harley Henry, of threatening [...]

Senior Advisor To Prime Minister David Thompson Follows Through With Threats Against Barbados Journalist

Hartley Henry Makes Public Allegations of Sexual Impropriety, Beatings, Attempted Suicide by Nation Newspaper Staffers
Uses Barbados Underground Blog
We told you on August 24, 2009 how Barbados journalist and editor Carol Martindale alleges that Hartley Henry threatened to turn Barbados against her if The Nation Newspaper did not print a story about a political poll [...]

Barbados Newspaper Editor Threatened by Senior Advisor to Prime Minister David Thompson – Police Investigation Launched

Mr. Hartley Henry, the senior political advisor to Barbados Prime Minister David Thompson and, many say, the primary engineer of the DLP’s election victory in the 2007/2008 campaign, is under police investigation for alleged threats to the editor of the Sunday Sun newspaper. The editor, Carol Martindale, says that Mr. Henry threatened to destroy her [...]

Useless “Gender Policy” vs. Equal Rights Supported By Laws – Barbados Government Minister Byer Suckoo Needs A Lesson In The Difference

The Barbados government is committed to ensuring that a National Policy on Gender is developed, says Minister of Youth, Family and Sports, Esther Byer Suckoo.
She made the comments last Friday during a courtesy call by outgoing Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Harold Robinson, and incoming Deputy Director for the Caribbean Region, Hernando [...]

British Tourist Shot, Robbed Near Sandy Lane Resort Barbados On June 4, 2009 – Victim Alleges Silence By Barbados News Media, Hotel, Tourism Authorities

“It did concern me that other British tourists who were staying at the hotel were completely unaware of what had happened. I am not saying it was deliberately suppressed but it doesn’t excuse the fact that no tourists were told about it..”
“There need to be warnings to British tourists that there are armed robbers operating [...]

Let’s Hope Our Next Barbados Chief Justice Isn’t A Political Hack Like SIR David Simmons

“It’s no secret, however, that Prime Minister Thompson when he was the Leader of the Opposition had serious misgivings about Sir David’s appointment and it would be surprising if Sir David remained in office a minute after the April 28, 2010 (Simon’s 70th birthday)”
… Stephen Alleyne writing in the June 22, 2009 edition of the [...]

Cayman News Media Uses Freedom Of Information Request To Monitor Cayman Islands’ Ministry Of Tourism Expenses

“A trip to Washington, DC, for the first ever annual Caribbean Tourism Summit last June cost the Cayman Islands’ Department and Ministry of Tourism nearly CI$200,000.
And the Department of Tourism US sales meetings held in Miami in February cost $50,287.
The information comes from a recent Freedom of Information request to the Ministry of Tourism. Although [...]

Two Different Messages: Barbados Ambassador To USA Sounds Alarm Over Tax Haven Crackdown – Barbados Prime Minister Says We Shouldn’t Be Concerned

One Message For Citizens, Another For The World Off The Island

Is Barbados worried about the USA’s Stop Tax Haven Abuse Act? Not according to Prime Minister David Thompson, who recently told the Bajan press that he doesn’t “feel” that the American legislation is aimed at jurisdictions like Barbados. (See our previous article US “Stop Tax [...]

Barbados Advocate Covers Up Police Failure To Respond To Theft, Gunshots At Graeme Hall Nature Sanctuary

Professional Journalism or Subtle Propaganda?
Yesterday we told you about the Royal Barbados Police Force failing to attend calls for help at the Graeme Hall Nature Sanctuary. The sanctuary staff reported crimes in progress including theft of fish, threats and gunshots. The police did not attend, and the Graeme Hall staff had to go to the [...]

Four Days After Barbados Free Press Broke The Sir Allen Stanford – Drug Cartel Link, Nation News Steals Our Story

UPDATE: Just a note that Allen Stanford has been under suspicion for money-laundering drug money for 20 years or so – according to The Independent article The Stanford Files: FBI’s first probe was 20 years ago.
Original article…
On Wednesday, February 18, 2009, at 11:50pm Barbados time, Barbados Free Press was the first Bajan news outlet to [...]

Bajan Writer, Editor & Novelist Jeanette Layne-Clarke Passes

PRIVATE LINE: Dialeck in crisis

Some people we got in Buhbayduss
Does mek talkin’ loud a career . . .
Duh’s somehow get duh mout’ in motion
Befo’ puttin’ duh brain in gear.
Duh now describin’ dialeck
As “slave talk”, ef yuh don’ mind’!
How dem does t’ink show duh missin’ a link,
Dat duh tek a six fuh a nine.
But leh dem [...]

Barbados News Media Refuse To Cover NUPW Press Release About Queen Elizabeth Hospital Doctors

Editor’s Note: The below was anonymously submitted to Barbados Free Press. If any of our readers have any reason to question its authenticity or the accuracy of anything it says, please speak up. That’s how we fact-check at BFP: we encourage our readers to become involved.
Thanks!
Robert.
Here it is as we received it, with the introductory [...]

Would Barbados Newspapers Have Enough Courage To Print This Advert?

Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich Mocked By Newspaper Advertisement
No matter what you think about the United States in other areas, you have to love the good old US of A when it comes to Freedom of Speech and Freedom of the Press. Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich got nailed for trying to sell President Barack Obama’s vacated [...]

Barbados Advocate Fired Journalist Adrian Loveridge Because A Cabinet Minister Wanted It Done – Now The Paper Cries The Blues…

The truth is that the legal and cultural environment which would facilitate the investigative journalism after which Mr. Thompson so plainly yearns simply does not exist at present in Barbados. First, the concept of freedom of access to information which would permit journalistic reference to official documentary as opposed to merely anecdotal evidence still awaits [...]

Barbados Court Attempts To Have Closed Bail Hearings For Arrested Journalists

Power Of Numbers Prevails As Barbados Court Opens To The Public
On Monday, a Barbados judge changed an earlier decision to have a closed bail hearing for the two freelance journalists arrested last Saturday when they tried to take photographs of a police officer charged with dealing in cocaine. (See Nation stories: Journalists Show Support & [...]

World Attention On Barbados Journalist Arrests

Harvard Law School’s Global Voices, Reuters, Taking Interest In The Threat To Journalistic Freedom In Barbados

The Global Voices website at Harvard Law School receives millions of visitors each day and provides information and stories to major media around the world in conjunction with Reuters News.
Today they published a feature article on the arrests of Barbados [...]

Barbados Government Minister Patrick Todd – Outright Lie And No Reporter Had The Courage To Call Him On It

“We’ve declared assets.”
…Patrick Todd, Minister of State in Education and Human Resources Development lies to Barbados and the world.
Barbados News Media Repeats Sickening Lie From a DLP Government Minister With Not Even A Blink
No, Mr. Todd, DLP Members of Parliament and Ministers in the David Thompson Barbados Government have NOT “declared assets” – as [...]

Roy Morris Rape Charge Fading Into The Barbados Mist

UPDATED: April 19, 2009
We read Dr. Leonard Shorey’s latest article in the Barbados Advocate with some sadness and not a little amusement. In Perspectives: Different Strokes For Different Folks – Why? Dr. Shorey rightly highlights and condemns that the Barbados Justice system and society have little concern for the rule of law. Members of various [...]

Barbados Free Press Welcomes Visitor Number Four Million!

Not Bad For A Nothing Little Part-Time Blog From Barbados…
Excuse us for bragging a bit, but we’ve just welcomed our four millionth visitor since we started Barbados Free Press in January of 2006.
Yesterday at 8:18:33pm, our special visitor arrived from Madrid, Spain via a link from Google where they had searched the term “Barbados accounting [...]

Barbados News Media Fails To Cover Major China Story: Tainted Food Deaths

Mothers in Barbados want to know if any Chinese milk products have been imported into Barbados recently or at any time in the past, but the Barbados news media – both print and broadcast – remain silent.
The Shame Of Our “Bought And Paid For” News Media
The world’s news media has been in a feeding frenzy [...]

Thousands Of News Outlets Worldwide Mention Barbados Free Press, Credit Our Tiny Snake Story – Associated Press, CNN, Newsweek, NBC News, New York Times…

Welcome To The Thousands and Thousands Of New Visitors To Barbados Free Press
At the time I am writing this, the Associated Press story Barbadians slam discovery, naming of tiny snake is less than five hours old, yet an online search shows that thousands of news outlets worldwide have published the story. The online issues of [...]

Death Scene Photo Controversy In Barbados

A young man hangs himself at his home and a local photographer is passing by when family members find the body. The photos show the distraught family members and the face of the hanged victim. The partially cut rope still looming over scene in the background. The horror. The grief. The calls to the Almighty. [...]

AGAIN! New York Times, LA Times, Major News Media Worldwide Publish Faked Photos and Stories

Worldwide News Media Shows More Faked Photos
Once again the news media of the world is caught printing fake news and photographs. Last year alone, Reuters News was forced to admit that over a thousand of its news photos and stories in the last two years were false, faked or entirely staged to “create” news. (BFP [...]

Serious Public Health Questions About Barbados BICO Milk and Ice Cream

Barbados News Media Fails To Print Credible Letter About Serious Public Health Issue
The editor
The Barbados Advocate
Bridgetown, Barbados
Dear Sir/madam,
On Friday the 27th.June 2008, an item of news was aired at 5.30 pm on the radio, which dealt with the recent recall of milk and ice-cream products manufactured by BICO. The chief executive officer of BICO Mr. [...]

Fox News Television Deliberately Alters Photos In News Segment

click photo

“Professional” News Media Has A History Of Lies And Manipulation

Once again critics of blogging like Mia Mottley and Ezra Alleyne are reminded that the so-called “professional media” often distorts, lies and manipulates the news to suit corporate, political, religious and individual agendas.
That is reality, folks. Reporters and editors are people like all the [...]

Six Months Since Barbados Immigration Chief Kenrick Hutson Was Assassinated

Retired Barbados Immigration Chief and former Assistant Superintendent of Police Kenrick Hutson was gunned down in front of his home on Friday December 28, 2007 while his wife and daughter were inside.
That is six months without an arrest and without a further mention of Mr. Hutson in the Barbados news media.
It is as if he [...]

Journalist Peter Wickham Says Nation News Removed Section On China Human Rights Violations From His Article!

Journalist Peter Wickham Contacts Barbados Free Press
The Nation News edited out the parts of Peter Wickham’s recent article that addressed human rights violations in China.
In a post on Barbados Free Press, Mr. Wickham told readers that the Nation News “clipped” the final section from his May 14, 2008 article People & Things – Perceptions [...]

Stranded Ghana Detainees: BBC Reports Barbados Military Rooms Have Insects On Beds

UPDATE: Barbados Underground Blog reports that an aircraft is on its way and at least one person is in custody in Ghana over the original charter.
The Pan African Commission is apparently involved in enmeshing the government in an operation that they knew was suspicious.
For details check out Barbados Underground link here
Government’s Continuing Inability To Resolve [...]

Which Barbados Journalists Have Received Gifts and Trips From Communist China?

Barbadian Journalists Should Declare Their Junkets And Gifts Whenever They Write An Article About China Or Taiwan
There was a scandal in automotive journalism a few years back when it was discovered that supposedly independent reviewers of automobiles had long been receiving gifts and benefits from automotive manufacturers. While there were at the time no hard [...]

Will Barbados Prime Minister Thompson Tour Any Chinese Slave Labour Camps?

A Barbados Prime Minister Would Never Have Visited Apartheid South Africa – But These Are Chinese Slaves, Not Black, So This Visit Is OK!
Barbados Prime Minister David Thompson is off to Communist China next month for his first state visit to a country that has an active slave labour camp system.
Paving the way for him [...]

Nation News Covers Up For Queen Elizabeth Hospital In Radioactive Iodine Scandal

Back on March 23, 2008, Barbados Free Press took exception to the Nation News coverage of an important health story: the Queen Elizabeth Hospital had run out of radioactive iodine used to treat cancer patients… and that Barbados cancer patients had been without treatment for several months. (Nation News March 23, 2008)
Our story Your Daily [...]

Brass Tacks Radio Discussing Barbados Blogs – Carl Moore: “Barbados Journalism Has Been Floundering For Decades”

Journalist Ricky Singh… “The local media gave a free ride to the governing party…”
The Brass Tacks radio show is now over. Here are our notes written while listening to the show…
Listen in on Brass Tacks Right Now!
International listeners can hear the show at www.vob929.com
***************
Journalists Carl Moore, David Ellis, Ricky Singh, CBC’s Head of News Richard [...]

L.A. Times and New York Times Both Apologise For Publishing Fictional “News”

With our jaundiced “news” eyes, we and other media-literate bloggers are continually spotting the absurd lies that are published every day in the worlds so-called “legitimate” news media. (A cynic would point out that here on Barbados we have had much more practice than in some other countries in spotting horse-manure published as news!)
The [...]