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 to harm the reputation of editor Carol Martindale if she did not publish a story about a DLP political survey in a certain manner. It is alleged that Hartley Henry told the Martindale that he would “turn Barbados against” her. He accused the paper of being “the mouthpiece” of Opposition Leader Mia Mottley. (Nation News: Threat to Sun Editor)

All Bajans are familiar with Miss Mottley, who is a rather heavy woman with a deep voice. Just reality – Miss Mottley can be quite a large figure in any photograph, especially when she wears her favourite all-red dresses and outfits. Like we say folks, just reality.

2/ August 26, 2009 – Hartley Henry publishes an article in The Barbados Advocate denying that he threatened Martindale as alleged – and surprisingly at the same time revealing the actual threat. Henry confirms that he told Martindale that unless she did as he demanded, “the whole of Barbados will come to understand how it is that”, a particular individual “can have unfettered access to” a known publication. Henry’s article No threat to press freedom, it is all about the ‘connection’ hits the internet the evening of August 26, 2009 when the Barbados Advocate’s August 27th edition is posted online.

How is it that a “particular individual” has unfettered access to The Nation newspaper? What was Mr. Henry threatening to reveal? What was “the connection”?

Barbados didn’t have long to wait…

3/ August 27, 2009 (about 5:39pm Bridgetown) – Hartley Henry follows through with his threat to harm the reputation of editor Carol Martindale by publishing an expanded version of his article at Barbados Underground blog.

Read in context of the current allegations of threats against the Nation News editor, Mr. Henry alleges what can only be a lesbian sex triangle involving two Nation News staffers and “said heavy roller” who gets “prominence on demand” in the coverage by the Nation News – according to Mr. Henry. Everyone in Barbados knows who Mr. Henry is referring to as “said heavy roller” who, Mr. Henry alleges, “licks” the two female Nation News staffers as they are “lying prostrate at every beck and call.”

Henry also alleged that the two Nation News staffers take turns running “the desk” at the Nation News for each other so they can each have sex with “heavy roller” up in “the nest” and “The whole thing makes Sodom and Gomorrah look like students of theology. In return, the heavy roller gets prominence on demand.”

Well, Mr. Henry threatened to ruin reputations if the newspaper didn’t print the article his way, and I guess he meant it.

4/ August 28, 2009 – Barbados Free Press publishes an article remarking on Hartley Henry’s disgusting allegations as published at Barbados Underground blog. BFP stated Senior Advisor to Prime Minister Thompson Follows Through With Threats Against Barbados Journalist.

5/ August 30, 2009 – The Barbados Advocate publishes a front page editorial Whose yellow journalism? backing Hartley Henry and declaring that everything is ok as Mr. Henry “did not utter threats against Ms. Martindale’s life, if he did express any vindictive emotions at all.”

The Barbados Advocate editorial never mentions that Hartley Henry did, in fact, follow through with his threat to ruin Ms. Martindale by publishing his disgusting allegations online at Barbados Underground blog.

Barbados Advocate readers will never know how deceitful the paper is unless they have internet access and read Mr. Henry’s article at BU or read about it at BFP.

Of course the editors at the Barbados Advocate know about Mr. Henry’s article at Barbados Underground. So does Prime Minister Thompson by now.

The Barbados Advocate has once again proven that citizens cannot trust the Bajan news media. The paper has also shown that it is truly undeserving of the name The Barbados Advocate.

Ladies and gentlemen, here (in text and a jpg) is the deceitful editorial as published in The DLP Advocate…

Comment: Whose yellow journalism?

8/30/2009

‘Monkey See Monkey Do?’

In what seemed to the unbiased reader to be a self-righteous diatribe against a known party-political activist, another section of the media rushed into print last Sunday, August 23rd to make out a case against “intimidation”. The Barbados Advocate would wish today to bring some sanity and sobriety to the issue and to demonstrate that it is even less than a ‘9-day wonder’. In fact, if truth be told, the matter seems to be of such minuscule importance that the seemingly “offended” newspaper appears guilty of ‘making a mountain out of a mole-hill’.

The burden of the claim seems to be that Mr. Hartley Henry, a former Journalist and a regionally known political strategist attached to the ruling Democratic Labour Party, called the Nation Newspaper and requested that the results of the CADRES poll conducted for the DLP “get the same treatment as polls done on behalf of that same newspaper”.

Mr. Henry is alleged to have made remarks to Sunday Sun Editor Ms. Carol Martindale, threatening to “tarnish her reputation” and “turn Barbados against her” and “bring her down … if she did not do the right thing”.

This story received the full treatment in the particular section of the media from which it emanated, namely a Headline story and a “Page One Comment”. The Barbados Advocate wonders why the matter was dealt with in this way.

Let it not be said that this newspaper condones any unprofessional behaviour from any part of the society against professional journalists; after all, this newspaper prides itself on being in the forefront of the fight against those who would vent their vindictiveness against media workers, particularly those in the print segment. However, this recent brou-ha-ha has made the Barbados Advocate come out to put matters in proper perspective, lest the public be fooled into “taking up other people’s FIRE-RAGE”.