Wednesday, December 31, 2008

LATIFAH'S JEWELRY OR NOT?

The Newsday reported on Wednesday that US actress/singer Queen Latifah's jewelry was stolen from her room at the exclusive Stone Haven Villas in Tobago.
Reporter Nalinee Seelal told us "Queen Latifah, however, returned to her villa at about 12 noon and discovered that her US$10,000 bracelet, two gold rings, a gold chain and a silver ring had gone missing...Investigators...went to the villa and took a statement from Queen Latifah, who said the jewelry had a sentimental value to her and expressed her willingness to offer a reward. The upset star hoped to have her jewelry returned before she leaves Tobago today."

The story is also being quoted from the Newsday on MSNBC's online entertainment page.

But in the 7pm newscast on Wednesday on TV6, we were told that the jewelry actually belongs to a companion of Latifah and not the star herself.
The Thursday Express has that story by Elizabeth Allard: "It was not American actress/singer Queen Latifah who was robbed at the Stone Haven Villas in Black Rock, but a member of her entourage. This was confirmed by Assistant Commissioner of Police (Tobago) Nadhir Khan yesterday. The incident occurred on Sunday but was only realised Monday morning when checks were made."

So which version is correct?

The story is also being reported on the eonline site, but they are also reporting that the jewelry belongs to Latifah's companion: "According to a staff member at the Stone Haven Villas, the posh resort in Black Rock, Tobago, where the 38-year-old Latifah had been staying in a three-bedroom villa with a family member, the items taken did not belong to the Last Holiday star, but to her companion."

Was this a case of the Newsday running with the story before the true facts unfolded? Miss Seelal was probably told that the items were stolen from the star's room, and she assumed that meant they belonged to her.

NEW-LOOK ONLINE GUARDIAN

The Guardian has debuted a new online look for 2009 (just one day ahead).
Not bad. Guess this was what they were working on months ago when someone inadvertently posted the beta page on the net. The page posted still says beta though.
Tell us what you think of the new look. d.martine6@gmail.com

WIKI-WASHY 2

The last post caused quite a stir and we received several stirring comments. Here's a taste of some of them:

"To call her materialistic and to insult people you don't know, shows you need to get a life of your own."
(K. Hernandez)

"As for wikipedia, something is terribly wrong with that site, since it says Samantha John is married to Patrick Manning, and Shelly Dass is married to an American football player. Last time, we in Trinidad and Tobago checked, Patrick and Hazel Manning are married, and Shelly Dass is married to Robert Clarke, who is a well known journalist, not an American football player. That site is garbage. Is it a trini thing, or just a base human instinct to attack people who are easy targets like Samantha and Shelly?" (A. Williams)

"What is really going on with this blog lately? I thought you (we by virtue of participation) were about making constructive criticism, not personal or character attacks? Who is this "AD" person? He or she needs to concentrate maybe on making themselves a better person, and finding better things to do with their time, than clearly holding on to old high school grudges. You, "AD" need to grow up a bit." (Trini)

"Hmmm....wikipedia says Shelly Dass was given a jaguar for a bonus from Ansa McAl. Should we believe that about her too? Wikipedia says Samantha John is married to Patrick Manning with four children. Well, "AD" whoever you are, you clearly have been keeping abreast of current affairs in Trinidad and Tobago to hold wikipedia up as the gospel truth. Do you pray to wikipedia at night as well? What a sad person you must be to believe wikipedia, and mock and insult people based on what's written about them. That's like that government minister the other day in the parliament, standing up and reading a wikipedia definition for something. The point is, wikipedia is an encyclopedia compiled by ordinary people, many of whom would have an axe to grind with some poor person or another. It's not the bible, and surprise surprise, the subject like Shelly and Samantha likely have little to do with the garbage that's written about them." (Coffee)

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

WIKI-WASHY

This reader has an issue with CNC 3 co-anchor Shelly Dass-Clarke's wikipedia profile.

"I'm home for the holidays and can't help but look at the local media and all its amusing characters.
"My cousin was showing me the wikipedia profile of a former classmate of hers (Shelly Dass) and she was having a good laugh that at 35, Shelly Dass cannot seem to get beyond the silly, materialistic, insecure schoolgirl she was when she was in high school.
The profile is clearly written by Shelly, and we are amused that she seemed to want to show that she was "successful" for someone so young. She has no idea about the numerous international figures who have published critically acclaimed books, appear on international tv and excel in the many other professions at very young ages?
And then that "million dollar beachfront wedding" to an "important family in Port of Spain". My God.
"(Just as an aside, what 'important family does Mr Clarke belong to? Because we've checked and not only are the Clarkes not really known in the local (much less regional and international) business sectors, but also, we've found no original colonial building named after his family, and no coat of arms attached to his family crest.)
"Shelly needs to realise that standard interviewing may be impressive for the apparently nepotistic Ansa McAl group, but it is amateur beyond reason in general.
And from what we understand, there are so many other deserving journalists in that company of accolades, but Shelly's face fits the profile of what is desired in the
Sabga-run company. You all know that discrimination is quite prevalent in T&T to date.
"Anyway, Happy New Year to the bloggers and keep up the good work."
"AD"

Well wikipedia has had its share of people editing sites and embellishing with information that may or may not be true. Stephen Colbert of the Colbert Report caused a stir a couple of years ago when he edited a site during his show just to prove a point.

So which other media workers have been embellishing their wikipedia sites?

WHOSE CAR? 2

Thanks Onika James of the Newsday for bringing some clarity to the many questions we posed after we read the initial stories on the stabbing incident outside an Arouca bar on Saturday.
"...Kelly-Ann Lucio, the sister of Kerwin Lucio, gave a different version of the events. Two guys came to the bar with two girls who were dressed up real sexy. Two fellas who were liming with my brother began harassing the girls, and one of the guys who they came with got vex, and began to rail up. My brother slapped him.

"“A short while later all of them calm down, and my brother went to get a drink for the same guy who he slapped. When Kerwin was coming out with the two beers he saw one of the men who was with the girls stabbing Al and that is where the thing start. It had nothing to do with no glass on no car hood.”"

But in his story in the Monday Express, Gyasi Gonzales sticks to his original script that the incident was sparked by an errant drink: "Police say the attack was triggered when one of Hospedales's friends placed his drink on a man's car, causing the man to become quite enraged. There was a fight between the car owner and the drinker. Hospedales, along with Patrick Holder, Kerwyn Lucio and Al Edmond, aka Rod Edmond, an ex-murder accused, reportedly tried to cool things down. The enraged motorist, however, drew a knife and stabbed Hospedales, Edmond, Holder and Lucio."

Saturday, December 27, 2008

WHOSE CAR?

We're hoping that the new year brings some clarity to fact-finding and telling in the local media.
The brother of a government minister was critically stabbed outside an Arouca bar on Saturday morning. However the details surrounding the event have once again been re-interpreted by various media houses.
Both stories in the Sunday editions of the Express and Newsday begin similarly.
Here's the lead paragraph written by Gyasi Gonzales of the Express: "A COLD beverage placed on the bonnet of a man's car led to the stabbing death of an ex-murder accused and the wounding of three other men-one of them the brother of a junior government minister."
And here's what Onika James of the Newsday wrote: "The simple act of placing a glass on someone’s car yesterday led to the fatal stabbing of one man, and the wounding of three others, including the brother of a Government minister."

But once again, the reader is left confused about the ensuing facts.
Mr Gonzales tells us: "...the killer, known only as "Cyat Eye" remained at large up to press time last night...(Al) Edmond, Patrick Holder, Kerwyn Lucio and Dane Hospedales...were liming opposite the bar...The Sunday Express was told that someone from the Edmond group placed a glass containing rum and coke on the bonnet of the killer's car. This reportedly enraged the man and he walked up to a member of the group and slapped him...Edmond...was instead stabbed in the chest. Holder, Lucio and Hospedales approached and they too were stabbed by the enraged car owner. "

But Ms James tells us: "According to reports Edmond, and his friends Patrick Holder, Dane Hospedales, and Kerwin Lucio aka “Cateye” were liming in the vicinity of La Luna Bar...a man placed his drinking glass on Lucio’s car. Eyewitnesses said Lucio became enraged, and an altercation ensued. Edmond attempted to make peace between Lucio, and the stranger who walked away from Lucio, but bottles were thrown. A short while later the stranger walked up to Lucio, and began stabbing him about the body...Edmond, Holder, and Hospedales rushed to Lucio’s assistance, and received several stabs about their bodies."

So which version of the event is correct?
Whose car was at the centre of the melee? Was "Cyat Eye/Cateye" the murderer or one of the victims? Who was stabbed first: Edmond or Lucio? Is the dead man's name spelt 'Edmond' (as in the Express & Newsday) or 'Edmund' as in the Guardian? How old was he: 28 (Express) or 29 (Guardian)? What time did the incident occur: 6:45 (Express & Newsday) or 7:45 (Guardian)? What kind of weapon was used: a knife (Express) or a broken bottle (Guardian)?

DOWN WITH DOWNS

Once again Lennox Grant proves his prowess with the pen (or keyboard) in his weekly Guardian column, where he's extolling the virtues of those forgotten fruits of his childhood: "Downs. Stemmed globules of gold and crimson and green had been left in the dust, or mashed by indifferent shoe heels, or had rolled unnoticed, untouched, and untouchable, into the gutter."

SO WHAT? 2

Thanks for clearing the air on this one, Trini.

"I realise even though the administrators of this site strive for accuracy, even they too get it wrong from time to time, so just to clear the air on the prime minister's return, he did not come back at 12 noon as one newspaper reported and as this site is also quoting in response to C News' late mention that Dr Lenny Saith was a member of the welcoming party at Piarco.

"CNC3 was the only station with footage of the prime minister's arrival at Piarco. Sampson Nanton who must have had a big tip-off (unlike most Cabinet ministers), that the prime minister was returning, carried shots of Dr Saith together with Ministers Conrad Enill and Paula Gopee-Scoon waiting for the prime minister. It was a well detailed report showing all the activity before the prime minister arrived (clearly shot from upstairs in the eating area), as well as the arrival of the jet, the prime minister and his wife on the tarmac greeting the welcoming party and Mr Manning's classic wave before leaving for the diplomatic centre. Sampson clearly quoted that while Dr Saith had been waiting since before noon, the prime minister touched down at 2 pm (hence the reason for the 2.30 press conference in which the prime minister did say that he came straight from the airport). It appears that C News was only playing catching up the next day after being well scooped.

"So kudos to Sampson and CNC3 for a job well done. Either their sources are very high up, or somebody showed good judgement to check out the airport after learning that the prime minister's office called a press conference that (according to my media sources) came with a request for live coverage. Their coverage on Christmas Eve proved that while everyone was caught up in the season, real journalists were still at work uncovering what to me was the biggest scoop of the year."

And our original question stills stands: even if C News wanted to play catch-up, what was the point of telling us more than 24 hours later that Dr Saith was in the welcoming party? So what? And wouldn't that have been expected since he was holding the fort in Mr Manning's absence?

Friday, December 26, 2008

SO WHAT?

C News, what was the point of telling us in a 20 second voice over at 7:15pm on Thursday December 25th that Dr Lenny Saith was part of the welcoming party for Prime Minister Patrick Manning at the Piarco Airport, when Mr Manning arrived from Cuba around noon on Wednesday December 24th?
Slow news day?

"POLICE KILLING"?

It would be great if media people could define the terms they use everyday so they don't confuse viewers, listeners and readers when those terms are used ambiguously.
Case in point: "Police Killing".
Now when you hear that term, what's the first thing that comes to mind? For us it's the image of dozens of heavily armed, black or blue-clad police officers speeding into a community, jumping out of jeeps and shooting up the place, leaving bodies and angry residents in their wake.
What does NOT come to mind though is an off duty police officer in plain clothes cutting grass, getting into an argument with three people and subsequently shooting them, leaving one dead.
Suffice it to say that this little lesson is purely for the benefit of TV6's Sharmilla Persad.
Miss Persad's lead story on Christmas night was titled "Police Killing"....a police officer shoots a man dead in Arima and injures his mother and brother. There was no indication in the lead up to that packaged story that the officer was off duty (or a private citizen at the time) and that the incident was a personal dispute. You gave your viewers the distinct impression that this policeman went into the area with his colleagues (perhaps on a raid) and shot up the place, leaving one man dead, when nothing could be further from the truth. Steups!

Here's how Angelo Marcelle of the Guardian opens his story: "One man is dead and his mother and brother are in critical condition after being shot by a policeman during a dispute, yesterday."
Gyasi Gonzales of the Express begins his story by telling us: "AN enraged senior police officer shot and killed a father of seven, and wounded the dead man's mother and brother during an argument."
So as they begin their stories they tell us a police officer is involved, but they dispel any doubt that this incident took place in the line of duty.
Here's an article in the Newsday of what can truly be described as "police killings".

So now that we have the technical terms out of the way, it's time for us to once again look at the variations in the facts of a story.
Mr Gonzales tells us: "The incident occurred around 10 a.m. yesterday at Demerara Road, Arima. The off-duty superintendent was clearing some bush off a portion of land when he got into an argument with Ashley Charles, 27, who lived nearby, a police report said. Near to Charles were his mother, Joan Charles, 44, and his brother, Macay, 22."
Yet Mr Marcelle's account of the incident is this: "Reports stated that around 8.30 am an off-duty officer was cleaning bushes at his Arima home when he was accused of crossing a boundary and entering another yard. Investigators said Francesca Charles, 49, confronted him about coming into her land. Residents said an argument escalated between the two, when the officer pulled out his firearm and shot the women (sic) in the chest. On hearing the commotion, Charles’ two sons, Ashley, 25, and Mark, rushed to the scene and they, too, were allegedly shot by the officer, residents claimed."

Thursday, December 25, 2008

FREEBIE

Thanks Express for the free newspaper on Christmas Day. Now if only we could work something out for the rest of the year.
Merry Christmas all.

KUDOS 2 / KEEP IT REAL 7

Hopefully this will be the last response we have on this particular "discussion".

"WHAT THE BLOODY HELL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Though I am offended at Petron's comments I am also amused at the silly notions being echoed here. I DO NOT HAVE A CRUSH ON FABIEN PIERRE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now that the air is cleared, Petron, please let us put an end to this stupid squabble because truth and in fact we are really arguing over nothing, I forgive you.

"Might I also add that I am indeed 19 years old, full name Denzil Ramdass (you can search me on Facebook and see that I am very real). I am not a student studying journalism but rather I am pursuing a BSc. Pharmacy. Journalism is my passion but due to the low salary it pays, I have decided to keep it real and pursue a career which is more feasible and in which I find happiness.

"There...... enough about me, anyone else cares to elaborate about themselves lol. Thanks as well Allison, whoever you be for your comments. Please again I resound the call for professionalism in our comments, let us as Petron has previously said, keep it real.
I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Bright and Prosperous New Year."

"Denzil"

DESCRIPTIVE GAYLE

This reader has a comment about a suspicious description of Chris Gayle.

"On 22 (December) Monday night, TV6 Sports' Vinod Narwani must have ran out of superlatives to describe West Indian cricket captain, Chris Gayle. It was the first time I ever heard the stoutly built Gayle described as tall and "pencil thin".
I guess an oak tree is tall and pencil thin too Vinod."

"Humongous"

Monday, December 22, 2008

SEX EDUCATION

Nazma Muller of the Express is exploring the issue of pornography in a three part series, the final installment titled Religion and porn is published in the Tuesday edition.
In part two, titled "The Miseducation of Leon Hill", Nazma gives us a quote from interviewee "Mark", who says he buys most of his porn in New York but the rest he buys from a guy in Arouca for about $15 per DVD.
Well Nazma we would like to suggest you go to that DVD store in Arouca and find out from the retailer if his Christmas sales (to young and old) have seen any dramatic spike, since you gave exact details on where he can be found. The parents of your young readers must be really happy right about now.
Is that your contribution to sex education, hence the reason for the question at the end of your story: "Do you think sex education is the answer to addressing problems like porn addiction?"?

NOT C-ING THE NEWS

We got a good look at the C 7pm newscast on Monday, and truly it left a lot to be desired.
First off, Roger Dwarika seems to be going head to head with TV6's Fabien Pierre to see who can do the most stand-ups. Guys here's a note: it's not necessary for every story. Roger, it was not necessary for the follow up landslip story in Maracas because you did a stand up in almost the same spot already.
The stand up actually would have been better at the site of the pink (or was that orange?) guesthouse where you interviewed the owner who said the driveway and the gallery became separated from the house because of the landslip. But alas you told us "Our camera could not make it down the slippery slope...", so we only got a shot of the ladder leading to the house, a very far away shot of the house, and you and the interviewee disappearing into the bushes. Steups! What was the problem with the cameraman handing you the camera then climbing down the ladder, then taking the camera back from you as you both made your way down to where we the viewers could see the best shots of the damage to the man's home?
That part of your report was totally useless and should have been done as a copy because the viewers were left totally in the dark.

The other story which grabbed our attention was the one-man protest outside T&TEC's office by the Mayaro resident. The gentleman made some accusations against the company about the increase in his monthly bill, then there was a soundbite from a female customer corroborating the man's claims with her own experience of the company affecting "poor people". The third soundbite was from a customer who had an opposing view, saying that some people are illiterate and just don't know how to read their new bills.
Well did your "reporter" or the person holding the microphone attempt to get a response on the protester's claims from the company? We saw shots of people entering and leaving T&TEC's office, but no sign of a company official and no word in the story that your reporter attempted to contact T&TEC for a response. So what was the point of the story? Just to show someone protesting? Steups! Whoever wrote that story should probably get some tips from the Action Line columnist in the Express, who outlines readers' complaints then gives us responses from the offending entities.
Anyway, there was a press release from T&TEC last week that affected customers will be credited. We are guessing that neither the reporter nor the protester saw that story.

The redeeming quality of the newscast was the Lee sisters who looked really professional, though we are still coming to terms with Naette reading sport.

And perhaps the most annoying story (this time on TV6) was that of the falling boulder which flattened two cars and damaged a home in Glencoe. Dominic Kalipersad read the introduction to the story, and of course when you hear something as incredulous as that, the first thing you want to see is the flattened cars.
But alas, Leeron Brumell decided that the first thing the viewers should see was a 15 second soundbite from one of the affected drivers (BTW with NO cover shots of the car, just the interviewee for 15 seconds with some bush in the background). Did anyone actually hear what he said? We don't think so, because if they were like us they were cussing out the reporter for not giving us the shot as soon as the story started! Leeron, what possessed you to start your story with a soundbite? Steups! Maybe if you had a shot of the driver standing in front of the car holding his head and bawling that would have been perfect, or even an interview with the guy with the car clearly visible in the background. Again, steups!

Your colleague at the Express Peter Christopher tells us of one of the residents: 'Chin said they heard noise like if "something was running through the forest up there, then we just hear boom!"'
Notice where his quotation marks are? Peter it sounds as if you were describing the situation to one of your colleagues when you got back to the office and in your excitement decided to go with the vernacular description. Hmmmm.

And while photos and videos show that the two cars damaged were a Hyundai Matrix and a Nissan Almera, for some reason the Guardian's Kyle Jeremiah tells us "The second vehicle was a Mazda 323."
And the Newsday's caption for one of the photos for the story tells us that the owner of the home which was partially damaged by the falling boulder also suffered damage to his vehicle. Where did that come from? As far as we are aware and based on reports in other parts of the media, only two vehicle owners were affected: Camille Holder (owner of the Matrix) and Keino Pollidore (owner of the Almera).

KUDOS 2 / KEEP IT REAL 6

Hmmm, since the gloves have come off, here's a response to the 'tiff'.

"....tis the season to be jolly....fa la la la la....why cant we all just get along? kiss and makeup people."

"trini"

KUDOS 2 / KEEP IT REAL 5

Hmmm. Here's a response.

"Ah Allison Deonath, lol if is one thing I give you credit for is that you know how to keep it real. So because the faceless poster said he/she is a UWI student you believe that is the case? Are you responding because it's your relative or child? That's not important. I too can get a few University workers at Universities considered to be higher up on the academic pyramid to respond to your post, but my maturity will not permit me to do so.

"And you're right, "DR" now that we learn is a boy name Denzil, probably has a crush on a cute Fabien Pierre, lololol. Trust me if "DR" is cute too, the chemistry would make something work out between the two.

"Allison you lack depth--- probably cute and other things other than academic landed you your post, if in fact that's where you work. As for the rest of your rants...Yaaaawwwwwwnnnnnn.

"PH"

"Oh, Ms Allison Deonath, forgive my manners. My name is Petron Holder. (see, I have no problems saying my name. Now you know I got balls. :)"

"PH"

Sunday, December 21, 2008

KUDOS 2 / KEEP IT REAL 4

Here's one for PH following the last comment.

"This battle between PH and DR is quite amusing. DR at least had the cajones to say that he/she is a student at UWI and is only 19 years old. But "PH" chooses to attack the child for liking a Tv station. PH claims he/she is a media personnel..why not say who you are if you are supposed to be a public figure.

"And to assault a young child for his/her opinions (however flawed you may perceive him/her to be) is quite surprising and contradictory to your stance as a media worker whose job hallmarks are fairness, (impartiality) and openmindedness.
Why be so vicious towards this child for simply saying he/she likes TV6NEWS? Sounds to me like that child (I'm guessing it's a girl) has a little crush on Fabian Pierre and decided to do something to praise him. But if she/he likes the station as much as is said, that is her entitlement. PH, you also complain about the promotion of mediocrity..when your OWN rants against DR are ironically a demonstration of that very mediocrity. Again, say who you are if you claim to be such an expert you attack a child with an innocent crush on a cute boy! How banal.

"It's noteworthy that TV6 harsh critic, Trini, has so far not bothered to respond, possibly showing maturity and some degree of sense.
But then again, these attacks on the child by PH may have a very simple explanation...are you a former employee of TV6 who did not get your own way there and now react as an employee scorned? Are you a media personnel at a less popular station/news institution and angry you cannot get a job in TV6?
Or are you just some useless, run of the mill reporter who is yet to make any kind of national/public impact, hence your fear of using your name and going brave?
Why don't you find a story to write that may make this blog site praise you, if you truly want to make productive use of your time."

"Allison Deonath"
"Former Trinidadian resident"
"Currently a Management student at an Ohio university."

"(See, identification of oneself isn't so hard to do)."

Actually Allison, DR is male, first name Denzil.

Saturday, December 20, 2008

KUDOS 2 / KEEP IT REAL 3

One more time....

""DR", Please find another blog to promote your rants. Your age and inexperience is evidence that you have a lot to learn about media. On this blog we keep it real, and those of us with more than a decade of experience in media who post here know what a good story is and what good media is. And this is why we critique. Please do not water down this good effort.

"I repeat, stop giving praise to mediocrity and ordinary work. I agree with you too, everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

"Nuff said."

"PH"

KUDOS 2 / KEEP IT REAL 2

Well PH, DR is not very impressed with your comment.

"PH, why is it that you continue to pull me down? As "trini" said everyone is entitled to their own opinions. Come on PH, let us keep this at a professional level and try not to pull each other down in our comments and opinions. It is okay to differ in our views but I would not accept that I am mediocre for I AM NOT. And no I am neither Fabien Pierre nor a doctor but as I said in a previous post that I am currently a full time student at UWI so work out the logistics, (hint, I'm only 19 years old). And I shall not tolerate any kind of comments like that you have directed to me.
If I am in love with TV6, you cannot do anything about it. If you love CNC3, I cannot do anything about that either. So please guys, come on, let us be professional in our comments and not attack each other just because we differ in our views. What do you think Martine?"

"TV6's #1 fan,"
"DR (ie my INITIALS :P)"

Our response: 100% agree.

Friday, December 19, 2008

YUH SEE? 2

Okay, here's one for C News. In the Friday night newscast, the poll question was "Should the authories be blamed for floodings?"
That was the question scrolling across the bottom of the tv screen for the entire newscast, yet when the question was shown full screen, the grammar was correct.
So the person who can't spell typed in the information for the scrolling bar? And not one single person in that entire newsroom or studio noticed that the scrolling bar had incorrect grammar?
Steups!

KUDOS 2 / KEEP IT REAL

Here's a response to DR's comment.

""DR", Hopefully those initials are just that, initials, cause they are a poor representative of what the respectable acronym Dr. means so far.

"I expect mediocrity to praise mediocrity. After all isn't that what happens with most media awards these days? The best of the mediocre is awarded. But hold on, one day a sensible organisation would request re-submission of better work for award purposes, instead of rewarding/awarding the crap that's sent to them. This does not mean that the people who submit their work for award purposes do not do good work, they just do not send their best product.

"But "DR", what I see is that you are a simpleton with a passion for mediocrity and you get an orgasm out of ordinary work. As "trini" would say, keep it real, those stories you are praising, especially by Fabien Pierre are the usual run-of-the-mill stories. Keep on praising mediocrity and soon enough some of us won't know the difference or mediocrity will become the new standard.

"It was nice of you to extend condolences to Miss Mohammed. Fabien is that you?

"Keep it real."

"PH"

Thursday, December 18, 2008

KUDOS

Some kudos for TV6 from their main fan, as well as for C News.

"TV6's #1 fan here once again and I don't give a damn to what PH and "trini" says but I must commend Fabien Pierre and the TV6 News on the series they are currently running, "UWI Under Siege". I am a full time student of the institution and Fabien in his report has highlighted some of the fears that I face on a daily basis. Thank you Fabien and TV6 News for highlighting the plight of us UWI students, your newscast is indeed as you say, the news of the people and by the people.

"I have also noticed that TV6 has scooped C News on the Red Eye story, kudos again on that TV6. C News, it is a pleasure to see sisters Naette and Golda Lee anchoring together, keep up the good work girls. I also would like to offer condolences to Sasha Mohammed of the TV6 News on the recent passing of her sister to breast cancer last Tuesday."

"TV6's #1 fan,"
"DR"

POWER STRUGGLE? 5

Here's another reason for Peter Elias' nomination for Prime Minister from MTLW:

"...also because he knows absolutely nothing about politics which puts him in the same category as the other candidates!"

Touché.

POWER STRUGGLE? 4

Once again the masses (33 of them) have spoken, and they've chosen PNM nemesis Dr Keith Rowley to be the next PM if there's a problem with Mr Manning returning to Trinidad from Cuba (if you know what we mean).
24 persons (72%) voted for Dr Rowley, 5 persons or 15% for Kamla Persad-Bissessar, 3 persons or 9% voted for none of the above, 1 person or 3% voted for Basdeo Panday, and neither Karen Nunez-Tesheira, Conrad Enill nor Dr Lenny Saith garnered any votes from anyone (they certainly need to develop their media contacts).
Well there's a story here if ever we've seen one, so go out and sharpen your pencils for what's certainly going to be an interesting few months ahead on the political front.

BTW, Miss Manradge of TV6, was it really necessary to tell us at 6am on Thursday that Mr Manning "...is said to be resting at this time"? Did you expect him to be jogging on the grounds of the hospital 24 hours after major surgery?
Steups!

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

POWER STRUGGLE? 3

And we have a new nominee for PM.

"I would like to nominate Peter Elias as Prime Minister!"

"Mirthrandir The Laughing Wizard"

Well MTLW, if the criteria is that he knows when to call it quits, then we second your nomination.

Monday, December 15, 2008

POWER STRUGGLE? 2

We've decided to play Devil's Advocate and throw out a poll on who you think should step into the PM's shoes should he have an unfortunate sudden demise.
The potential candidates may be obvious to some, and a surprise to others.

WHY LEAVE THE ERRORS IN?

C News is giving viewers the opportunity to text in their comments to be shared with the national community, but what we see translated on the screen is filled with grammatical errors.

"Peter Elias has done well with the local pagents..."; "Chaguanas supermarket owners have raise all their prices".

We doubt you have the technology yet to have texts translated straight to the screen, so it's obvious that someone types that stuff in, but with all the grammatical errors?
Why? Aren't you there to edify and enlighten people? Wouldn't it be better to show those same people the correct spelling of their messages? Steups.
As we have said for CNC3's Morning Show until they came to their senses: please teach your CG people to spell, or hire people who can.

Sunday, December 14, 2008

POWER STRUGGLE?

Hmmmmm. Here's a thought-provoking comment on what may transpire should the PM not return to Trinidad for obvious reasons.

"Wouldn't it be interesting if some enterprising journalist did a piece on the panic that set in among big intelligent men when Dr. Williams died? I am reliably informed that the people who first discovered him unconscious or dead, debated about whether to call his doctor, or to take him to the hospital. As if he might be revived and punish them for allowing anyone to know what had transpired.
And about the high-handed manner and ad hoc manner in which the next Prime Minister was chosen. Did Sir Ellis really choose George Chambers because he thought TT wasn't ready for an Indian PM? And why did such a basic political decision have to reside with the President in any case?

"If America and numerous other nations simultaneously elect or appoint via the party system a deputy for whomever is elected as head of the government executive, why can't it happen here? And why do we think that parliamentary democracy is for us anyways? Sometimes when you inherit things, you have to assess their value and keep or sell as necessary. I think it's time we review this political system of ours because the people have no voice. The individual you vote for does not seek your interest at their primary place of work - the Parliament - and will vote and contribute to legislation that you don't agree with or care about. And the very MPs that thousands of Trinbagonians voted for last November are now quite useless if the PM is called to his Master.
Only three of them actually have some experience in politics and government and there's going to be a terrific power struggle going on (which won't involve us by the way) should our current Prime Minister kick the bucket."

"NN"

THE PIGTAIL MAN 2

Here's some praise for Darryl Heeralal's story on the pigtail craze.

"I saw the Pigtail story as well with Darryl Heeralal on TV6, indeed it was a great effort and while I am tempted to say he should stick to writing, I rather urge him to go get voice training and fast. Otherwise he will be CNC3's Samuel McKnight part II. Great effort at a light story though Darryl, I thought it was a bit creative and different.

"By the way, did Samantha John promote that the "light special" was coming up at the end of the news? I do not remember hearing or seeing her do that.

"TV6's Head of News Dominic Kallipersad you used to stick some of your light pieces in the middle of your hard news, sometimes at the end of the first segment of hard news, now you doing like CNC3 and pelting them down to the back when three quarters of the audience is gone.

"What's the point then? I thought you were emulating greats like the BBC that places a light story smack in the middle of their hard news, sometimes at the beginning to either relax the audience with something more positive; or to serve as a cushion for all the negative stories they know the audience will be subjected to."

"PH"

Thursday, December 11, 2008

THE PIGTAIL MAN

We managed to catch Express crime reporter Darryl Heeralal dishing on the newest craze in east Trinidad... barbequed pigtail... during TV6's Wednesday night newscast (the story was couched in the Inside Business segment).
Interesting. Darryl we're not quite sure what prompted the move to this softer story line since your forte is usually crime, as evidenced by a quick search on the Express website (although dreadlocked citizens would probably consider it a crime to eat anything associated with pigs).

Well everyone is entitled to try new things, just as we are sure you sampled some of the barbequed pigtail. But a couple of points.
When we heard the first words from you, we thought Samuel McKnight of CNC 3 had switched stations. You sounded exactly like him. Not good, for several reasons and this is one of them.
Overall the story was ok, but we know this is probably your first foray into tv, so here's a pointer: next time, ask the cameraman to get some wider establishing shots of the area, so viewers can have a clearer idea in their heads of the location of your piece. We only saw close up shots of the pigtail sign above the stall, but if your cameraman had given us a wider shot which included the famous Valencia pillars, then we would not have to be guessing when you said at the end of your story that the stall is located east of the pillars. Just give us the shot and you won't have to waste time writing that sentence.

So what's next from you? We hear that there are several new bars and restaurants opening up along Ariapita Avenue. You game?

WHERE'S THE APOLOGY?

We've addressed this issue before, but one of our readers has picked up on it again.

"Take two, or was it CNC3?
On Tuesday night you treated or annoyed your audience with a double take of the same story from Sampson Nanton, I believe it had to do with the Tobago House of Assembly... sigh, why do these things happen? Didn't the mighty engineers see they were doing a double take and bring Wade Mark's response to the story after a few seconds? Why it took them all the way to the end of the story for them to realise it was the same story? And of course no apologies from the girls on set.

"And yes Samantha the former DJ now TV6's main presenter...you started reading a story on Wednesday night towards the end of the newscast, and the story disappeared from the prompter, but you were not prepared for that, as if it were the first time and you did not expect it ---eh Samantha? Then you waited for the prompter to wake up again and you presented another story and did not apologize for the unfinished story you started. Sigh...why do these things happen? Samantha, you could have ad-libbed an explanation and moved on, and not just move to the next story like that.

"Damn! And Stupes!"

"PH"

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

YUH SEE?

Well per our last post, namely that part about "the lack of oversight sometimes by copy editors", we have a piece written by Rhondor Dowlat of the Newsday for the Tuesday edition.
She's describing the accident at the UWI intersection of the CR highway on Sunday night which claimed the lives of two toddlers and both parents of one of the children.
But we are told "The other survivors which involved a white Toyota Corolla and a green Audi, were identified as Michael Poonwasie, one-year-old Joshua Lazarus, his father Jermaine Lazarus, Jermaine’s wife Theresa Butcher and Patricia Narcis."
Who survived the crash? The cars or the occupants?

Hmmmmm. And we will assume the same copy editor missed this one as well from Indarjit Seuraj's story on the young murder accused who appeared in court "Donning tattoos of two teardrops under his left eye,...".
He put those on just before he left the jail to go to court?

FAVOURITE NEWSPAPER

Now that we've voted on our favourite tv stations, it's time to turn our attention to the newspapers.
We've been very critical of some of the nonsense that passes for newspaper reporting, and the lack of oversight sometimes by copy editors, but there are some print reporters/journalists/columnists who give their competitors a run for their money.
We'll stay mum about our choices, but take the poll and feel free to tell us who are your favourites/least favourites.
d.martine6@gmail.com

Saturday, December 6, 2008

NO MONEY OR NO VISA?

The Express Saturday edition has a story written by Joel Julien explaining that local Muslims will not be able to attend this year's Hajj at Mecca.
The headline (which may or may not have had any input from Mr Julien) reads: "No pilgrimage this year for ASJA, Trip to Mecca costs $45,000 a head".
Right off the bat that headline suggests that the trip has become too expensive for potential pilgrims, because of the world financial crisis or rising annual costs.

But after using four paragraphs to explain the purpose of the Hajj and the detailed costs, Mr Julien tells us in the fifth paragraph "However, the potential pilgrims, who were expected to leave last Saturday, have still not received the mandatory visas for the spiritual journey."
Steups!
So the visa is the problem? It has nothing to do with affordability?
Steups!
Mr Julien, you and your editor need to sit down together and discuss how NOT to mislead your readers. Why not say something like "No visas granted" for the sub-headline instead of putting in the cost of the trip?
As a matter of fact, you probably owe ASJA and Sheikh Majid Ali an apology for leading the population to believe that members of his organization cannot afford to go to Mecca.
Steups!

Thursday, December 4, 2008

HOW MUCH WAS HE AWARDED?

The Newsday and the Express of December 4th both carry the story of Bhagirath Parmanan, the elderly gentleman who won his lawsuit against the state after he was roughed up by police officers several years ago.
The court awarded him damages too, but we aren't quite sure how much. The Newsday's headline confidently trumpeted "Man awarded $72,000 for wrongful arrest and detention", while the Express had "$100,000 for police 'rough up'".

The Newsday's Laurel Williams told us "The judge, after hearing attorneys for Parmanan and the State, ordered that general damages of $18,000 should be paid to Parmanan. Six per cent interest must be paid on that sum from November, 27, 2004 when the lawsuit was filed. The judge also awarded him $1,176.39 at the rate of three percent from February 4, 2002.
"It was further ordered by Justice Shah that the State pay Parmanan $10,000 as damages for false imprisonment, at the rate of six percent.
"For malicious prosecution, the State was ordered to pay Parmanan $25,000 with interest at the rate of six percent from November 2004. Special damages were awarded in the sum of $3,250."

Now Laurel, we are assuming that you gave your readers the breakdown in figures then calculated it all and came up with $72,000. But your counterpart Keino Swamber at the Express chose not to give us a breakdown. Instead, he gave the full figure of $100,000, and wrote "Bhagirath Parmanan, is expected to receive the money, with interest, as compensation for assault and battery, false imprisonment, malicious prosecution and legal costs." This is actually a lot easier on the eye, especially if you don't have a lot of time to sit and calculate the figures for yourself. Maybe Keino gave a rough estimate so he wouldn't have to do the calculations himself?

But the question still remains, how much was Mr Parmanan really awarded? $72,000 or $100,000? We used Laurel's breakdown to do a rough calculation and came up with just over $71,000; close enough to her figure. So maybe the problem is with Keino's calculation?
It should not be left up to the reader to guess.

"(WASN'T IT MORE THAN THIS??)"

Hmmmmm. The subs at the Guardian seem to be sleeping on the job.
An observant reader pointed out to us that in a story written by Gail Alexander for the edition of Tuesday December 2nd, one copy editor/editor/sub/whoever! apparently wanted some clarification on whether Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday's suspension from parliament was really coming to an end, and posed a question in parentheses within the submitted text. The paragraph and inserted question were printed without change.
"Panday was suspended on March 28, when he clashed with House Speaker Barendra Sinanan over use of a laptop computer. (wasn’t it more than this??) He was suspended until the end of the parliamentary session."

Well here's the full story, titled "Panday’s suspension nears end".
Gail we hope you made some noise, and editors/subs/copy editors/whoever!, pull up your socks!

FAVOURITES? 4

Well the masses have spoken, 39 of them at least.
It seems the favourite local television station for news is IETV. 41% of those who voted chose IETV, 20% chose C News, 17% chose CNC 3, 15% chose TV6 and bringing up the rear, 5% chose Gayelle.

Let's see if this is a forecast of the annual media survey which we understand has been cancelled this year.

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

FAVOURITES? 3

Well at least one person agreed with 'trini' to an extent.

"Hey "trini" you're funny, lol. Ever tried to laugh and cry at the same time when you're not sure what to do about an uncertain situation? Well that's how pathetically hilarious D.R. was with his heaving praise for TV6.

"I wonder if he really wanted to say anything good about CNC3 et al, it must have pained him or her to be positive about the competition.

"Samantha is annoying me with words like seh-rious for serious, seh-ries, for series and oh gosh, several others of a similar nature..."

"PH"

FAVOURITES? 2

Here's a response to our post on favourite tv stations.

"Lol! Somebody please give TV6's marketing department a gold medal, whoever came up with the idea to write in to the blog and pay glowing tribute to them, as if the station is the best thing since sliced bread...is clever! D.R.? That's simply ingenious!

"Seriously though, I know we are all entitled to our own opinions, but Samantha Jo still needs help with her pronunciation. She has an affectation, that's a little, well...not, ummm...genuine (not meant to be mean Sammy). As for their weekend reporter Diane Baldeo..well I don't know who she is, and there's no meaning to what she says (nothing personal to you either ma'am). For me personally, I can't trust what TV6 says lately because I know the readers are not reporters. At least with CNMG, those girls like Golda and Charlene are out in the field...they report. Same thing with Shelly Dass, and Vashty Achaibar at IE, or even Paolo Kernahan at Gayelle. They can hold their own without a teleprompter. But when I see and hear Sammy Jo voicing commercials, and Diane Baldeo doing the same thing, and Maxine whoever playing love songs on the radio...and that man with the contact lenses on IETV..and I wonder: do I want them to sell me furniture and play me music, or tell me the truth about the political and social landscape? Age old debate folks, and a decision which TV6 hasn't been able to make.

"In terms of morning shows? TV6 ANY DAY, I love Andy Johnson, humble, intelligent, not obsessed with his image. A La Obama, a morning show I can believe in! lol.
Have a great day people."

"trini"

Monday, December 1, 2008

WRITING...2

Here's a response to our post.

"Hey,

"I see your comments on the writing of crime stories, but all that is evident with that crime story on Fox is that a Television news person wrote that story and Fox being the liberal media that they are must have made minor adjustments and put it out in print format. I have seen that kind of writing in the papers here where Television reporters write stories that are used for print.

"The dumb editors just remain rigid and say this is Television writing we would have no more of it, that's all. But we have had writing like that on crime stories before.
Track back a bit on google and you will come upon something, that is too tedious for me to do right now.

"Richard Charan has been creative with his pieces too, but it seems lately his fantastic pieces are being edited into mediocrity. Or he is too stretched with work to maintain proper standards."

"Anonymous"

We responded by saying that actually the story was written by an Associated Press Writer and printed verbatim by Fox and other news services, for example.

FAVOURITES?

Some praise for a few local tv stations from a die hard fan.

"Hi Martine,
I just wanted to know if I'm seeing right, but is that a new set CNC3 is sporting or is it the same green screen with some animations added? New set or not, it really looks nice, it is about time you changed the background of that set so kudos on that. Also kudos on the sidebar next to the anchors, it looks quite lovely.

"TV6, though being CNC3's mentor in certain areas, could learn a bit from their competing interest and I do mean competing interest literally because has anyone noticed that CNC3's cast mainly comprises of TV6's ex employees? TV6 please, I resound the call for co-anchoring and also please take into consideration the idea of putting up a sidebar or you can use the graphics usually shown on the plasma screen during the News @ Noon on 6! I must admit that I am a die hard TV6 viewer and I love the new blood TV6 has running through its veins since the unfortunate exodus of staff to CNC3 in 2005 but all things happen for good, right?

"Samantha in my opinion gives Shelly Dass a run for her money and she has a lovely personality. Joel Villafana adds emphasis into his reading and Damian Salandy in my opinion is my favorite weather guy. Gerard Lampow though a bit stiff performs well and so does Fabien Pierre who I see as a reporter who would go all the way just to bring the news to us, the viewers. Diane Baldeo with her melodious voice and beaming smile is a veteran in the industry, her performance is just spectacular. I really wish Francesca would fly the coup and join her former co-anchor Dominic Kallipersad to give us a taste of the old days back in 1995 when they both co-anchored the newscast. Dominic adds credibility to the TV6 newsroom with many years of experience under his belt.

"Though still fairly new to the media, TV6's team of reporters fill us in everyday on everything we need to know on the day's happenings. And their exclusives and special reports, brings them to the TOP and above the rest, it makes their newscast unique and sets them apart from the rest. Yes CNC3 and C have been doing an excellent job, I agree with that fact but CCN TV6 truly stands out.
The new set just made my night when I first saw it, TV6 you forever hold a special place in my heart. I hope to see some of CNC3's staff crossing floors in the future to become part of a dynamic and vibrant news team. It really would look cool to see Shelly Dass and Samantha John anchoring together on the same set, so again please TV6, your new set sports a larger news desk, two more anchors can fit I'm sure.
So please TV6, take heed to the calls for improvement to your newscast from a mere viewer. Thank you.

"Now I would like answers on this burning question, are Shelly Dass and Odeka O'Neil back on the singles market because I have noticed that they are not sporting their marriage names of Clark and Seaton respectively anymore."

"TV6's #1 fan,
"DR"

Well it seems DR doesn't appreciate the attributes of Gayelle or IETV, since they were not mentioned in this glowing tribute.

We couldn't resist so vote on your favourite local television station (which runs credible news) in our poll.