Vexed Bermoothes

So much could go wrong with the political interference that is so deeply embedded in the draft Media Council Bill.  So, comments like this from the Minister for Loose Cannons hardly leave a warm fuzzy feeling for most Bermudians, as well as our international partners looking for a glimmer of that Gold Standard™ we are always rabbiting on about.

Public Safety Minister David Burch was on Hott 107.5 yesterday, claiming that [The Royal Gazette] should count itself lucky because some in the PLP want to lock them up and have sanctions, penalties, consequences and fines.

In an apparent reference to Government’s withdrawal of advertising in The Royal Gazette, Sen. Burch said he was disappointed not to have seen more favourable coverage despite hitting this newspaper “where it hurts most”.

Seriously – is this a threat?  The law already has sanctions for inaccurate reporting:  including libel and others.  Government has pursued those – on the public dime – and lost because the media was within the laws.  They were acting in the public interest.  They were doing their job.

Also, his comments that the RG should have toed the line after Government hit them “where it hurts most” reveal the truth about Government’s attempt to manipulate the free press economically.  Not only is this in violation with international standards … but it also defies logic.  Why should anyone read a press outlet whose reporting is linked to the handouts they get from Government?

Spin is gratifying to the politicians … but uninformative, unhelpful, and ultimately uninteresting to the public.  Sometimes the facts are embarrassing and politically harmful.  But that does not stop them from being facts.