News from the Caribbean as of
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Editorial: Why the truth is more important than image
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| Published on Monday, April 21, 2008 | Email To Friend Print Version
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Our correspondent in the US Virgin Islands recently received an email from a reader complaining that we publish “negative news about the USVI on Caribbean Net News” with particular reference to our story concerning a cruise ship tourist who was robbed and beaten in the USVI.
We would have been happy to publish the email in question as a letter to the editor but, regrettably, the reader did not provide his or her name.
However, there are two ways to deal with problems... recognise them and set about finding a solution, or ignore them and hope they will go away.
We did not make up the story about the cruise ship tourist being robbed and beaten in the USVI. It happened and a good newspaper's role in a society is not to sweep the truth under the carpet and pretend everything is rosy.
Yes, it reflects poorly on the US Virgin Islands, but this latest incident should serve to reinforce a commitment to do something about the often violent crime in the territory and indeed throughout the region.
We believe in tackling issues when they arise, not ignoring them. For that reason, we shall continue to report the news, not distort the news.
We will always try to present the region in general in a positive light, but we will not present a lie. If anyone thinks our reporting the truth can damage the image of a particular country or territory, they should consider the far greater negative effects that worsening crime would eventually have.
It is vital for every community in the region to stamp out violent crime, but the only way that is going to happen is if the entire community first acknowledges the severity of the problem, and then works together in a serious effort to fight it. | | | | Reads : 1732 | | | |
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