A MAXI TAXI?

We don't usually comment on the nature of stories outside of the journalistic side, but this one caught our eyes and we just had to comment.

The Newsday of Thursday April 30th has a photo of two members of the Under 17 national football team hoofing it to the Priority Bus Route after they were released from quarantine at Jack Warner's hotel in Macoya.

So, on top of losing their three matches in Mexico and failing to qualify for the World Championships in Nigeria, as well as fearing they might contract swine flu in Mexico and being quarantined on their return to Trinidad, those boys had to put their bags on their heads and find public transport (according to the write up by Roger Jacob) to get home after representing their country on the international stage? Steups!
Mr Warner, that not good enough!

In the Newsday story written by Carol Matroo, we are told "CONCACAF president Jack Warner yesterday said the youngsters and the technical team were being well taken care of." Well medically yes, but nothing else apparently. So none of the technical staff found it fit to arrange transport for these guys to get home? Steups!

Mr Warner, hopefully your communications people will advise you that actions speak louder than words.

SOUR GRAPES? 2

Here's a response to dh/Trini.

"Trini this is one time I could not agree with you, Dominic Kalipersad did the right thing by instructing Fabian to do that story (which it appears Dominic wrote himself).

"It is clear that the PNM has its claws deep into the CNC newsroom, maybe a strategy for countering TV6's Sasha Mohammed's UNC exclusives. But this is no reason for a Government to send out exclusive releases, or to pick and choose. The Government is not a privately owned company; what the opposition can get away with they can't---even though they are both public property. Kudos to TV6 for exposing that ridiculous action by the Government and Dominic do stay on top of their case.

"And there is nothing wrong with a media house complaining about rejected or turned down requests by the Prime Minister for an interview. After all didn't the PM say he does not give exclusives? So did he catch the Obama syndrome too? In that case, that's a good thing and we hope his next exclusive on another issue will be with another media house. That's the intelligent way in which US President Barack Obama does it. If all the exclusives are done on one medium then this will become suspect.

"So Rosemarie did you make a pact with the PNM for exclusives? Can you tell us what it is?

"Some things in life become very obvious...

"Your Observant
"PH"

SOUR GRAPES?

Here's a comment on what we originally said was sour grapes by TV6, but has been expanded by dh to include other media houses.

"Isn't TV6's obsession with CNC3's "exclusives" with the prime minister a bit petty? Fabian Pierre and Dominic Kalipersad dedicated an entire story to CNC's exclusives with Manning, whining that Manning never responded to their letters, and then crying that they weren't invited to the prime minister's breakfast meeting. Hilarious. TV6, did it ever occur to you to pick up the phone and call the day before the breakfast meeting to find out what was taking place, and if you could get access to the event? You all must have known it was going to take place? Lazy really.

"In any event, you don't hear CNC3 complaining about all Sasha Mohammed's "exclusive interviews" with the UNC or Tim Gopeesingh, do you? More than that though, no one has any right, in any station to pick sides, or point fingers, and pretend to be self-righteous or "independent". CNC3's Francesca Hawkins, didn't she work "closely" as well with the UNC and the minister of Energy with the UNC? And isn't TV6's former head of news Maxie Cuffie now working for the PNM Gov't? Aren't Rose and Roger good friends with Jack Warner? And wasn't Shelly friends with Howard Chin Lee? And didn't Shelly, Roger and his boss/wife Mrs Rosemarie Sant all come from TV6 in the first place?
No one can point fingers. It's all incestuous or in-breeding.

"By the way, seeing more of Gizelle "Y2K" Legall on CNC3. Is she gradually being phased on? Replacement for Francesca? Francesca has been a reader since God was a baby. Gizelle's advantage is that she seems to be some kind of reporter, doing stories for news. Francesca, hope they give you a good retirement package after all those years reading. How come you never went deeper, or became a credible reporter? Gizelle, do something about that hair. This is not Y2K, or BET, or MTV. Keep trying though. One day you'll get there. Gerard Lampow (of TV6), you are hilarious. Aren't you the play whe fella? Or Lotto? This "amazing mumford" look has got to go! A for effort though.

"Trini..watching it all on the web!
"*PS, CNC3 your website, or lack thereof, SUCKS. CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP."

WHERE ON THE MAP IS LANDATE?

Here's a question for Juhel Browne of the Express: what part of Tobago is that place you call Landate?
In your story published in the Express of April 30th, titled "Max knocks UNC", you seem to suggest in paragraph 11 that Landate is an actual place on the map.
"Rowley himself won a legal suit against the Integrity Commission for its investigation into allegations that he had been involved in the removal of materials from the Scarborough Hospital project to a private housing development in Landate, Tobago, owned by his wife, Sharon."

Hmmmm. So we did a little research to see whether any other local journalist thought Landate was an actual place, and can you believe we found the exact paragraph in a story you did back in January titled "Rowley knocks 'donkey logic' boasts".
In paragraph 10 you wrote: "Rowley himself won a legal suit against the Integrity Commission, for its investigation into allegations that he had been involved in the removal of materials from the Scarborough Hospital project to a private housing development in Landate, Tobago, owned by his wife, Sharon."

Sound familiar? Copy and paste is ok Juhel, if the information is correct. What happened to your sub editors, then and now?

BTW, the Landate development is situated in Mason Hall.

AS YOU CAN SEE...

During the 4pm news on I95 FM on Wednesday April 29th, Marlan Hopkinson introduced a story from the BBC on the preparation for the third stage of the five-phase voting process in India.
He introduced the reporter as what sounded like "Karisha Vidarie", but when the report began, we immediately recognized that the reporter was in fact Karishma Vaswani, and that her report was specifically tailored to a television audience.

16 seconds into the report, she says "As you can see, people here live on top of one another...". Well we were listening to the radio, so we couldn't see. Just that one phrase did it for us.

Marlan we can't blame you since you were probably just reading the script that was presented to you (and we hope you will correct us if you did in fact pull that clip), so we will have to throw the blame on whoever recorded that clip, whether off the BBC's website or off the television. You could have edited out that part about seeing the people.
All your listeners probably let out a collective Steups!

MEDIA TAKE NOTE

Here's a comment from Inshan Ishmael of IBN TV on the Privy Council ruling on the Trinity Cross. Read the story in the Newsday, Express, and the Guardian.

"I just hope that the Media takes note that this was one of the very first times that a Muslim and Hindu group came together to fight an issue on this level.

"Also on another note, I am no longer affiliated with the Islamic Relief Centre, I started the organisation and left because of my position in IBN Channel 8..I just pray that the local print media especially will recognise the Muslim's involvement in this great achievement and we are not relegated to one or two words as per the norm, except where terrorism is concerned."

"Inshan Ishmael"

SHELLY AND THE PM 2

Here's a comment on Miss Dass' interview with the PM, from John M.

"1) It appears that Shelly Dass was caught a bit off guard - and not in a position to handle the PM in a face to face - who could blame her - a quick check reveals that this interview was the first since his resumption of PM duties in 2001; Also, quite coincidentally a few of the only negative calls were accidentally cut off - I smell a 'soft ball rat'...

"2) It appears that the PM got 'Obamaized' - possibly he figured if the leader of 300 million folks (a good portion of whom despise him) and a world powerhouse could subject himself to all daily interviews - who is he?

"3) A sharp eye did not Miss the PM and the Managing Director of the Guardian 22-04-09 taking a picture "GREETINGS" PG. A4 - ......Hmmmmmm......smell a soft ball for the Exclusive."

SHELLY AND THE PM

First off we have to say kudos to Shelly Dass for getting that exclusive interview with the Prime Minister on The Big Story - his first one on one interview in several years (well if you count that staged interview with Anthony Wilson, Ria Taitt and Rosemarie Sant ahead of the last general election.)
Lots of back door plotting must have gone into this latest encounter.

At some points Shelly seemed uncomfortable, as if she was in awe of the PM and still couldn't believe he was sitting on her set. She played with her wedding ring quite a lot and slouched down over the desk. Mr Manning seemed to tower over her throughout the interview. At one point she asked him with a half smile "Mr Prime Minister, why are you doing this?", in response to a very aggressive caller. She also didn't sound sure about the website address for the Fifth Summit of the Americas; and she kept saying "I have to ask you this question...". Why tell him that? Because he clearly saw all the prepared questions ahead of the interview? Where was the element of surprise?

Well we knew Mr Manning was really running that interview when, in response to a question from Shelly about Mr Big, he said "There is a difference between information and evidence. (Pause) I say no more." and Shelly happily moved on to the next caller.

Well after the Big Story ended, Giselle Legall of Y2G fame read the 10pm news. She looked like a deer caught in headlights. We will say no more.

Overall we felt Mr Manning answered the questions that he was asked, but the interview was not hard-hitting enough.

Well at least one media house suffered a case of envy. During the TV6 news on Wednesday evening...while they did use soundbites from the PM on the CNC 3 set and they did put up the Courtesy graphic, they also put up a graphic telling viewers that they had been asking the PM for an interview since March. While they were probably trying to show that the PM was playing favourites, they only succeeded in announcing to the whole world that the PM outright blank them. Steups!
Whose decision was it to put up that graphic?

SUMMIT COVERAGE 4

Here's Denzil again.

"Oh might I add, C's summit wrap could not touch TV6's summit wrap though. TV6's product was far superior to that of C boasting an excellently done set and an excellent format. C's was just plain bogus and boring."

"Denzil"

WIN TV COCOA STORY ON CNN

WIN TV's Gideon Hanoomansingh's story on cocoa has made it to the CNN World Report, and the story is also running on their website.
Good on you Gideon. Not bad for a station that is almost defunct.

Your story seemed a little short though, and there were too many soundbites. It seemed as if you were trying to get in every point of view, and especially the technocrats. You said there are approximately 2000 cocoa farms in Trinidad, most of them small holdings, yet we found it strange that you did not interview at least one farmer to get his perspective of how the local cocoa industry is being affected by the world economic crisis.

Contrast Gideon's story to the one done by James Heer in Sao Tome. He told the story from the perspective of one farmer whose livelihood depends on cocoa, then he linked it to the economy of the country. Fantastic video work.