Dear Editor,
Myths are very hard to dispel, especially if they are deeply entrenched in Bahamian culture. One commonly held myth which has been around since time immemorial is the view that the press is heavily slanted towards the Free National Movement (FNM).
In a November 13 Tribune front page article concerning an alleged meeting of Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) members of Parliament which was held on the night of November 11, the Minister of State for National Security Senator Keith Bell reportedly told Fort Charlotte MP Dr. Andre Rollins that the press is against the PLP. If this article is accurate, and there is no reason to doubt its veracity seeing that The Tribune is a highly credible and reputable newspaper organization, then it would appear that Rollins had a heated exchange with Bell.
To many rabid PLPs, Rollins committed the unpardonable sin of publically disagreeing with Prime Minister Perry Christie on the proposed 15 percent valued-added tax (VAT) rate and the proposed new gaming legislation.
While Rollins may end up becoming the whipping boy for the mounting opposition within the PLP towards the two highly controversial legislations, he will be viewed by many grassroots as a politician who marches to the beat of his own drum, despite the dire consequences he may face. Politicians such as Rollins are a rarity in The Bahamas.
Now, concerning Bell's alleged claim that the press is anti-PLP, I wish he would have attempted to qualify that statement. At least three national newspapers come to mind whenever I hear the myth that the press is biased towards the FNM. Real or imagined, there is the perception among many PLPs that The Tribune, The Nassau Guardian and a Nassau-based tabloid are against their party. And this despite the fact that one of the aforementioned dailies has two weekly columnists in the persons of former PLP senator and former MP Philip Galanis and PLP supporter Arinthia Komolafe.
Bell was only rehashing what other PLPs have been saying for years. This myth has been repeated so often that few if any have ever bothered to challenge it.
In light of the significant changes that the media landscape has seen in the past 21 years, the belief that the press is anti-PLP is outdated and anachronistic. Truth be told, there are probably as many anti-FNM media organizations as there are anti-PLP.
I think it would be safe to suggest that the Broadcasting Corporation of The Bahamas or ZNS, which is chaired by PLP supporter the Rev. Dr. William Thompson; Jones Communications Network, which is owned by PLP supporter Wendall Jones; Peace 107.5FNM, which is owned by PLP supporter Steve McKinney, and GEMS Radio Bahamas, which is owned by PLP supporter Debbie Bartlett, are all slanted towards the PLP. And then you have bahamaspress.com and bahamasuncensored.com, which are both radically PLP.
Furthermore, many former journalists such as the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration Fred Mitchell; Minister of Tourism Obie Wilchcombe; Calsey Johnson, high commissioner to Canada; Paulette Zonicle, consul general, Washington, D.C.; Oswald Brown, press attache, Washington, D.C., and Ed Bethel, Bahamas High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, are all against the FNM by virtue of their support of the PLP.
And so we can see that this cherished belief that is held by PLPs that the press is anti-PLP is really a misguided perception. If anything, one can argue that it is the other way around.
-- Kevin Evans
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