Deliberately blurring journalism  

Barrington “Skippy” Thomas, a Power 102FM radio host, caused an uproar, first on social media and then in the wider public after he posted a photograph of Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley close to a child during the Carnival celebrations.

Accompanying the post was a commentary that seemed to impute improper motive by the Prime Minister, an accusation that was demonstrably without merit and potentially libellous.

The child’s mother posted an impassioned 11-minute video response to the Facebook post, to which Thomas could not offer any reasoned response. His suspension from the station was the very least that media house could do to address the controversy that arose.

The incident was soon followed by concerns about the use of video and pictures showing the faces of the children at the St Jude’s Home for Girls during a visit by Nicki Minaj.

The publication or broadcast of an image of a child before the courts is unlawful and constitutes an invasion of privacy under Article 16 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

These are constraints that working journalists are guided by in the course of their work. Beyond the talk show host’s staggering lack of judgement in posting the photo and making his unfortunate comments is his continued insistence that there was some rationale beyond personal and political for the post.

Thomas is an acknowledged member of the UNC and has stood for elections for that party. His comments on the matter have all been political in nature. What media houses must learn from this incident is that there is a need to prepare for more of the same in the run up into the next election.

It is the responsibility of editors and newsroom managers to insist that their journalists and contributors understand the responsibilities that come with their jobs and the importance of separating the work of journalism from the temptation to engage in propaganda.

For working journalists, the temptations and challenges may run deeper and new reporters and commentators may not fully grasp the importance of maintaining balance in their reporting and impartiality in their public presence.

Political parties seeking messaging opportunities have become quite savvy in their efforts to either co-opt journalists into the business of propaganda or using social media popularity to graft party propagandists into guest roles in the newsroom. These are opportunities to co-opt the authority of established media channels to lend credence to theories built on inadequate foundations and to recast facts in a more politically favourable light.

Media houses will always seek to deliver balanced opinion in their pages and in broadcasts, but guest opinion perspectives must always be governed by fact-based reporting and clarity in sourcing.