PRESS RELEASE - BahamasLocal.com

PRESS RELEASE

FROM THE OFFICE OF HON. DR. HUBERT A. MINNIS, MP
LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION

MARCH 27, 2015
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (019)
___________________________________________________________________________

Remarks by Hon. Dr Hubert Minnis, M.P.
Leader of Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition

Political Communications Class
The College of The Bahamas
Thursday, March 19, 2015

First of all, I thank you students, faculty and The College of The Bahamas for
inviting me to speak to you today. I am happy to do so, because what our country
needs urgently is more bright young minds and good writers. Now, more than
ever, we need people of integrity and courage to join the ranks of our better
journalists. It is a challenging role, but some of you will surely fill it and perform it



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mouthed by some of the brightest writers and some of the top members of the
profession over the past century and a half.

Mahatma Gandhi once said, “I believe in equality for everyone, except reporters
and photographers.”

“History is just journalism and you know how reliable that is.” ― Joseph
Campbell .

And what does it say about the quality of journalism and the reading public, if
Hillary Clinton can say, “If I want to knock a story off the front page, I just change
my hairstyle.”

Journalist, activist and author Hunter S. Thompson say even worse: “With the
possible exception of things like box scores, race results, and stock market
tabulations, there is no such thing as Objective Journalism. The phrase itself is a
pompous contradiction in terms.”

And famed American author Norman Mailer completely condemns the profession:
“If a person is not talented enough to be a novelist, not smart enough to be a







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– Identify sources clearly. The public is entitled to as much information as
possible to judge the reliability and motivations of sources.

– Reserve anonymity for sources who may face danger, retribution or other harm,
and have information that cannot be obtained elsewhere.

– Diligently seek subjects of news coverage to allow them to respond to criticism
or allegations of wrongdoing.

– Be vigilant and courageous about holding those with power accountable. Give
voice to the voiceless.

– Support the open and civil exchange of views.

– Recognize a special obligation to serve as watchdogs over public affairs and
government. Seek to ensure that the public’s business is conducted in the open,
and that public records are open to all.

– Avoid stereotyping.



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– Avoid conflicts of interest, real or perceived. Disclose unavoidable conflicts.

– Refuse gifts, favours, fees, free travel and special treatment, and avoid political
and other outside activities that may compromise integrity or impartiality, or may
damage credibility.

– Be wary of sources offering information for favours or money; do not pay for
access to news.

– Deny favoured treatment to advertisers, donors or any other special interests, and
resist internal and external pressure to influence coverage.

To be accountable and transparent, you should:
– Respond quickly to questions about accuracy, clarity and fairness.

– Acknowledge mistakes and correct them promptly and prominently. Explain
corrections and clarifications carefully and clearly.

That brings me to choice number 4. You can choose to be a professional Bahamian
journalist, who understands that our homeland is a developing country and your



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either of poor management at best or corruption at worst. If we believe that The
Bahamas needs to do more about ensuring food security, journalists need to ask the
hard questions about BAMSI. Ask until the contradictory stories give way to the
truth about that important facility. Ask so that BAMSI is organized and supported
properly to accomplish real advances. I assure you that, in many cases, getting to
the truth is often harder than climbing Mount Everest. The truth is often buried
under personal agendas, red herrings and lies. Ask the hard questions about the
citizenship referendum and about BEC that is consuming so much of our money as
taxpayers without any advances to show for it. It is the right and obligation of
every citizen of this country to challenge the wanton treading on our rights and
future. This is true democracy.

As journalists, you have the potential to ransom and revive truth by committing the
best of your talents as currency. You can and must encourage others to buy-in by
your demonstration of honesty, depth of research and careful reporting. I warn that
it will not be easy. In fact, at times getting to that point will be like crossing the
Tongue of the Ocean from Nassau to Andros. You will be swimming in deep,
predator-filled water without a safety boat following. Nevertheless, fight on. You
have a country to build. Together, we and all Bahamians of goodwill can create a
better place to live in, a place where we no longer live in constant fear of becoming