Don’t kill and bury people’s aspirations

03.JULY.09

Editor: I am a weekly reader of The News newspaper since its inception. I remember very well the situation which led to columnists like Bassy Alexander and Adrian Fraser withdrawing their weekly contributions from the paper. Anyway, I am not writing to resurrect that particular subject.{{more}}

What is of concern to me are two articles carried by the paper recently. The first article concerns an incident which happened at the Miss S.V.G show where a contestant was ridicule for saying ‘touristes’ instead of ‘tourists’. The second article is similar in nature. This time another contestant who took part in a show held in Bequia was ridiculed using ‘fulfation’ in her answer when asked “What is your definition of success?”

To say that the contestants were not ‘ridiculed’ because the incidents took place, therefore, the journalist was just reporting what occurred, is a very insensitive argument, and to publish a matter simply because it occurred and the paper cannot be sued for libel is not a justifiable reason to humiliate another individual – especially when that individual is defenseless. Who are we kidding when we say that the paper was just reporting an occurrence at an event? There could only be one reason why those negative aspects of the events were highlighted; and that is, to create ‘mischief’ and ‘embarrassment’.

The paper must realize that one of the reasons young people enter these contests is to help boost their self-confidence and when they are humiliated in this manner, it could have a lasting negative impact on them. So shame on the people who found pleasure in reading those negative stories about our young people; shame on the journalist for such distasteful journalism and shame on The News newspaper for emphasizing those negative aspects of the events. Let your paper be an educational and inspirational forum for young people, not a means to kill and bury their aspirations.

Leroy James