Changing our narrative

THE EDITOR: Is there a causality between “the way” and “the what” we report news and the socio-psycho culture of our people? Are we a people who are passionate about negativity because we have been conditioned by the media to be so? Think about it a bit.

I have found that most people in our society are passionate about negative news because that is all the news we receive! Perhaps there is a causality between the constant bombardment of negativity projected by the media and our obsession with negativity…maybe.

Let’s consider recent events: a criminal died, and the media spent hours and days highlighting, discussing and broadcasting on this person. Imagine, a person who has perhaps hurt our society more than help was given celebrity treatment by the media. More air time and print time was spent on him than the tri-athlete who won gold at the TT Triathlon Federation’s National Duathlon! More time was spent on him than the young lady who won several medals at the World Championship for the Performing Arts! I wonder, was it necessary to showcase his funeral? What messages did we send to our youth?

It’s time to change our narrative TT, it’s time to take control and free ourselves from the prison of the negative way we have been coerced to view ourselves as a nation. There are many positive events happening everyday all around our magnificent islands. We are more than gangs, murders, robberies and poverty!

Am I saying bury our heads? No! However, we should invest more time on showcasing our positive “national self”. Balance is always the key. If a child is continuously told he/she is bad, then eventually more than likely he/she may just as well become bad. Here’s a thought – a challenge even – bear with me now, what if we, each one of us, take time each day to record and post something positive that has happened? What if we take charge of our story?

I challenge the media to make positive news front page news. I challenge you TT to change our narrative. We shouldn’t shroud all our greatness, let’s highlight the wonderful achievements of our youth, not bury it on page 36! Who’s with me?

KEZIA REECE

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