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Prev    Next Letter: There is a possibility that George Worme made himself a sacrificial lamb for politcal reasons Published on Saturday, October 24, 2009 Email To Friend    Print Version Dear Sir: The court judgement against George Worme editor and owner of ‘Grenada Today’ newspaper in a libel suit filed by Opposition Leader Keith Mitchell, must be respected as an example for writers and journalists to clean up their dirty act, and stop the habit of writing and publishing articles and documents that are false. The selfish attitude of using the media, as a means to belittle an opponent by character assassination is unhealthy for creating a free democratic society. Party politics must be accepted as individuals' choice, and hatred for a person because of his/her political association must stop. Grenada has a long history of dirty politics that goes back to twelve years' rule under the late former Prime Minster Eric Gairy, and during that period the media was controlled by Gairy’s GULP regime. Those days anti-Gairy activists had no other choice but to fight for civil rights and freedom. Now we have that rights and freedom, we are supposed to set a good example and create a democratic legacy, rather than using the media as an instrument to scandalise a political rival’s character. Media freedom was allowed in Grenada for the first time after October 25, 1983. That medium of freedom of expression came about after the US invasion of Grenada, when Ronald Reagan sent his army and toppled an urban faction of the PRG regime, who seized power in a palace coup, after they executed their leader Maurice Bishop and some of his comrades and followers. However, this new luxury of media freedom did not last too long after some of those journalists who promoted freedom of the press, become newspaper owners and editors, and started acting as little dictators of the print media industry they owned and control. With the traditional type of ignorance within the Grenadian society, and the influence of politicians and newspaper owners in the media, there is continuation of division, based on journalist’s affiliation towards different political parties. Therefore, Grenada moved from one party control of the media, to newspaper owners teaming up with their favourite politicians and political organisations to slander each other’s reputation for control of the voting population. During the thirteen years' reign of Keith Mitchell’s NNP regime, the editor and owner of ‘Grenada Today’ developed a strong dislike for the Mitchell brand of politics and leadership. And it appears as though the hatred is based on personal issues, rather than political ideology. Mr Worme's newspaper became the vanguard mouthpiece for the NDC party, which is now the governing party. He used his newspaper as a medium to write articles and stories about corruption within the NNP regime, and by so doing, he was able to attract a wide section of readers within the Grenadian society. As a matter of fact, in 2006, ‘Grenada Today’ was the most read newspaper in the country. Readers were excited to read juicy stories about NNP corruption, and how the NNP intention was to sell out Grenada to white foreign investors. However, while Mr Worme and his newspaper gained popularity among readers, he finds himself making some stupid mistakes, by forgetting the fact that he can be subjected to a libel law suit, if he writes stories that are false against an opponent, and carelessly as the chief editor, he made that foolish mistake. Now he is paying the price, with the chances of forfeiting his newspaper, if he cannot pay the large sum of money in a court judgment that ruled in favour of Keith Mitchell in the libel suit. So the big question is: Is it Mr George Worme that stupid to forfeit his livelihood by spreading false propaganda on Keith Mitchell, in order for the NDC to win the last general election? There is no doubt that some Grenadians are asking that question. But there is a possibility that Mr Worme's real intention was to be the sacrificial lamb for the NDC party, in other for that party to win the last general election and form the government. And if that is the case, therefore, those lawyers within the rank and file of the NDC regime should have the moral principle to cover the court cost for Mr Worme. As Grenadians, we must wait and see if they will pull Worme out of the gutter, because it won’t be easy for him to pay the legal costs of over one hundred and ninety thousand dollars, in this recession time. It is very important for those among us who choose to be journalists and writers to always follow the rules and act with respect, and don’t slander opponents character for personal reasons, because writing is a very powerful medium, and it should not be used to spread false propaganda, for mischief and a political mileage. Good writers will always try to live up to their reputation, and create a positive image, so that readers will not be misled with false information from stories that are libellous. A mischief writer is deceitful as a bandit who terrorise the neighbourhood with a gun and bullets. Words are powerful, and when they are used to make statements that are false to damage individual’s character, those words and statements are as damaging as bullets fired at innocent victims. The central power in Grenada is the government, but there are other institutions owned by influential citizens, and some of those citizens sometimes get carried away with their power, and by so doing, they become sub dictators without paying attention to the consequences of their behaviour. The political fighting and rivalry among the educated and influential people in society is not a good example for building a democracy. Those who were in sensitive positions must set a good example for the next generation to follow, if not, Grenada will remain static, and the society will not move on to the next level. In conclusion, I think it is time for our politicians and journalists to stop all the political fighting. Journalism is not all about juicy political stories and government affairs. Journalists suppose to cover all the aspects of society. Grenada media is lacking in entertainment journalism. What about the topics on poplar culture such as music, dance and theatre? None of our journalists are interested in interviewing the elders, who have a lot of oral stories to tell about life in the colonial era. Too much emphasis is being place on politics, and now it appears as though politics has become a religion, and false propaganda is a cultural tradition. If this kind of negative media culture is not stamped out by the justice system, once and for all, democracy will become useless, meaningless and non-productive. Let us hope that George Worme will learn his lesson, and do the right things as a journalist, next time around. Or else we should wait and see if he has a role to play in the (second cabinet) within the NDC organisation, that was created by elders of the party, to guard against a ambitious faction that has a history of creating unnecessary politcal crisis for senseless reasons. Hudson George Toronto, Ontario Canada   Reads : 985   Prev    Next

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