Vexed Bermoothes

Yesterday’s paper had a chirpy and cheery update from a local real estate agent.
The article claims that the average cost of a single family home is now just under a million. Meanwhile a January 2007 article from the same agency put the price at 1.325 million. That implies the average sales price of […]

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Government now has dozens of civil servants working in communications and public relations. It has also invested huge sums in building websites.
Yet, to read most statements from Government Ministers, given in their official capacity, one must visit the PLP website. These official statements do not appear on the Government website or CITV.
This blurring […]

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The UK’s The Guardian (whose paper edition attracts over 1.2 million readers per issue) covers the Bermuda Government’s “politically motivated” ad ban on the Royal Gazette in its website section on media freedom.
The Guardian joins a growing list that includes Association of Caribbean Media Workers, the Index on Censorship, the UK Press Gazette, Reporters […]

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Al Seymour has been writing weekly guest editorials in the Royal Gazette for a few months.  I enjoy them.
What appears to have gone wrong, and this could happen anywhere, is that poor public relations has left too many whispering and reaching their own conclusions on different matters. In other words, if people are not given […]

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A few months ago, when Dr. Brown started his self-proclaimed “war” on the Royal Gazette, the Inter American Press Association (IAPA) was one of the first organisations to speak out.  They were answered by some condescending blahblah from the Cabinet Office.
Unfortunately, most Bermudians seem inclined to accept these brush offs from the autocrats. […]

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Another international media group has apparently written to the Premier to express serious concern at the Bermuda Government’s highly politicised decision to withdraw advertising from the Royal Gazette. This time it’s from the respected World Association of Newspapers and the World Editors Forum. They know a little bit about freedom of the press, […]

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Smells like teen spirit someone just reprinted the press release. This article is the purest of PR spin.  Now remember kids, there is no free lunch!

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I ripped a page out of The Economist a few weeks ago which described fears of declining media freedom across Eastern Europe and the negative impact on democracy.

It describes one leader who wants to impose a media council, claiming that it will “upgrade the interest of the public above the interest of the […]

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There has been a terrible murder of a child in Bermuda. I am speechless. Or rather I am so sad for the family and so angry at the killer and so hopeful the authorities gain a just conviction that I cannot untangle the words.
I am told that one of the local TV stations […]

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So, what to do when the uproar about corruption, mismanagement, secrecy, and lack of accountability becomes so great that the country’s reputation begins to get sullied?
Of course, hire an overseas PR agency to spin your way out of it! Brilliant!
Nevermind the fact that BIBA already has one for this purpose. Nevermind the fact that […]

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