Bahamas Prime Minister Blames US Cable News For Collapse Of Journalism

Over the weekend, Bahamas Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis addressed the Third Annual Press Club Awards Banquet, where he blamed the collapse of journalism standards on 24-hour cable news shows in the United States. He said, the declining of standards “would not have been allowed in previous times” and urged local journalist not to be  “champions of any political party, business, group or interest in a country”.

While addressing the Third Annual Press Club Awards Banquet Munnis said,

This is not a practice that would be allowed by journalists in other countries. I am not speaking here of editorial writing. A journalist and a columnist are distinctly different roles.

 

The 24-hour cable news shows in the United States have in a number of ways led to a lessening of standards that would not have been allowed in previous times. There has been a considerable blurring of reporting and commentary.

 

It is telling when certain standards have been breached, that some in the press do not even realize that a standard has been breached.

 

Journalists are not supposed to be champions of any political party, business, group or interest in a country.

Minnis noted that journalist must report news on a fair and balance perspective while avoiding conflict of interests, adding “the best journalism criticises, celebrates and inspires”. In the United States, that is certainly not the case with 24-hour cable news networks waging an informational war against the American people flooding them in a DDOS style attack of misinformation. The constant bombardment of Russia/Trump collusion stories have sent the trust in television news to record lows.

The Jamaican Observer ends the report by saying,

Minnis said, adding that the press has an essential role in promoting good governance, transparency and accountability.

 

“By pressing public officials for accurate and timely information, the press helps citizens to learn about the decisions being made by a government on their behalf,” he told the awards ceremony.  

It seems as Bahamas Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis and the American people have something in common and it’s the distrust of the mainstream media. The one question we ask mainstream media execs: Was the fake news in the last election cycle worth the credibility loss?

The NYTimes Asks Reporters To Stop Being Partisan On Social Media

Days after James O"Keefe released his latest undercover video which took direct aim at the New York Times" Audience Strategy Editor, Nick Dudich, who repeatedly admitted to promoting content that intentionally seeks to, among other things, damage President Trump"s businesses as a means towards forcing his resignation, The New York Times became the latest mainstream media organization to “clarify” its social media policy for journalists, reminding them that “partisan” posts (i.e. posts explicitly bashing President Donald Trump) will no longer be tolerated.

America’s paper of record joined the Wall Street Journal and Washington Post in gently reminding its journalists that abiding by stringent standards of the “unbiased” press, while occasionally uncomfortable when reporters are forced to swallow controversial opinions, is necessary to retain what little credibility the media has left in the eyes of the public.

Interestingly, the paper’s public disclosure of its standards – which Executive Editor Dean Baquet said was done “in the interest of transparency” -  comes amid an escalating feud between President Donald Trump and NBC which began after the latter published an anonymously sourced report claiming Secretary of State Rex Tillerson called Trump a “moron, and has most recently expanded to encompass a debate about whether the FCC should revoke television networks’ operating licenses for biased or unfair coverage.

“We’ve always made clear that newsroom employees should avoid publishing anything on social media that damages our reputation for neutrality and fairness. This memo offers more detailed guidelines.

Department heads will be responsible for ensuring that these guidelines are followed by all staff members in their departments. Violations will be noted on performance review.”

Here’s a summary of the new guidelines:

• In social media posts, our journalists must not express partisan opinions, promote political views, endorse candidates, make offensive comments or do anything else that undercuts The Times’s journalistic reputation.


• Our journalists should be especially mindful of appearing to take sides on issues that The Times is seeking to cover objectively.


• These guidelines apply to everyone in every department of the newsroom including those not involved in coverage of government and politics.


• We consider all social media activity by our journalists to come under this policy. While you may think that your Facebook page, Twitter feed, Instagram, Snapchat or other social media accounts are private zones, separate from your role at The Times, in fact everything we post or “like” online is to some degree public. And everything we do in public is likely to be associated with The Times.


• On that same note, we strongly discourage our journalists from making customer service complaints on social media. While you may believe that you have a legitimate gripe, you’ll most likely be given special consideration because of your status as a Times reporter or editor.


• Avoid joining private and “Secret” groups on Facebook and other platforms that may have a partisan orientation. You should also refrain from registering for partisan events on social media. If you are joining these groups for reporting purposes, please take care in what you post.


• Always treat others with respect on social media. If a reader questions or criticizes your work or social media post, and you would like to respond, be thoughtful. Do not imply that the person hasn’t carefully read your work.

And the list goes on (you can read it in full here).

• If a reporter is still unsure about posting, the Times recommends that they first ask themselves:


• Would you express similar views in an article on The Times platforms?


• Would someone who reads your post have grounds for believing that you are biased on a particular issue?


• If readers see your post and notice that you’re a Times journalist, would that affect their view of The Times’s news coverage as fair and impartial?


• Could your post hamper your colleagues’ ability to effectively do their jobs?


• If someone were to look at your entire social media feed, including links and retweets, would they have doubts about your ability to cover news events in a fair and impartial way?

We’re glad the Times cleared that up. Its new guidelines can effectively be summarized as “don’t publish anything on twitter that you wouldn’t publish in the Times.” That said, the standard still allows ample room for the paper"s reporters to pass off partisan rhetoric as "impartial" fact. That is, if it"s enforceed. It"s likely many of the paper"s reporters will continue tweeting partisan attacks - the default subscriber boosting position - despite the new "guidelines."

Mainstream D.C. journalist denied FOIA requests on Seth Rich, murder cover-up continues

Are journalists starting to get to close to the truth in the Seth Rich case?

WASHINGTON (INTELLIHUB) — ABC 7’s Scott Taylor was recently denied a Freedom of Information Act Request that he filed with the Government of the District of Columbia Metropolitan Police Department which requested copies of video footage captured at the crime scene by police officers body cameras and surveillance video captured from the hospital where DNC staffer Seth Rich was taken before his death.

Frustrated with the official response, the investigative journalist tweeted:

“#SethRich Update: Here is denial of my request 4 video of Police Officers body cams at crime scene & Hospital plus surveillance video. pic.twitter.com/VDaRO8m8gT“

#SethRich Update: Here is denial of my request 4 video of Police Officers body cams at crime scene & Hospital plus surveillance video. pic.twitter.com/VDaRO8m8gT

— Scott Taylor ABC 7 (@ScottTaylorTV) June 1, 2017

Two attachments included in the tweet read as follows:

Screencapture via ScottTaylorTV/Twitter

Screencapture via ScottTaylorTV/Twitter

The response from DC Metro Police makes no sense, especially because body camera footage has been released by the department in the past and can only help in solving the case.

Furious about the whole ordeal, Taylor tweeted:

“Body cams in homicides have been released in the past in #DC.”

Body cams in homicides have been released in the past in #DC. https://t.co/oyFSfwNgZE

— Scott Taylor ABC 7 (@ScottTaylorTV) June 3, 2017

An additional FOIA request filed by Taylor was denied by the Chief Medical Examiner.

Taylor tweeted:

“#SethRich Update: #DC also denies my FOIA for Chief Medical Examiner autopsy report.”

#SethRich Update: #DC also denies my FOIA for Chief Medical Examiner autopsy report. pic.twitter.com/Z0f4FU243i

— Scott Taylor ABC 7 (@ScottTaylorTV) June 3, 2017

How deep does the deep state go?

Shepard Ambellas is an opinion journalist, analyst, and the founder and editor-in-chief of Intellihub News & Politics (Intellihub.com). Shepard is also known for producing Shade: The Motion Picture (2013) and appearing on Travel Channel’s America Declassified (2013). Shepard is a regular contributor to Infowars. Read more from Shep’s World. Get the Podcast. Follow Shep on Facebook and Twitter.

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