You're no Joe the Plumber, Mr Prime Minister
Local media "got a wake up call from hell last week". But it could be a blessing in disguise. Why? Because finally and collectively, media houses appear to have shaken off their inertia, exhibited by a deafening silence on the broadcast code, to take a much required hard stance against the Prime Minister for his ill fated visit to 94.1 Boom Champion Radio.
The Express newspapers (still my favourite daily) devoted its prized front page yesterday to editorialise the issue and columnists and announcers both on and off-air have pontificated on the significance of a Prime Minister leaving his barber in San Fernando late last month, driving some 40 miles into Port of Spain, cordoning off a part of a street and walking into a radio station to complain about comments he had heard on the air while he was getting his hair cut.
Was his angst valid? Sure. Personal commentary has no place in a newscast. The on air-announcers were wrong.
But the collective thinking is that the Prime Minister also went too far. For me, the most telling issue is that Mr Manning felt he had every right to pursue his course of action in his capacity as “an ordinary citizen.”
But Joe the Plumber Mr Manning is not, and his actions point their scrooge like fingers to the prevailing rumour that Mr Manning is full of his own self importance and in fact listens to no one. Not his handlers. Not his communications specialists. Not his PR professionals. Clearly not his more media savvy wife.
I am actually glad ‘Boomgate’ happened if only because truths were revealed.
Firstly, there is a need for standards in 94.1 which all announcers and newscasters should adhere to. As the Express said in its front page editorial, the country "has had a free press to the point where some media houses have, in our view, been guilty of excesses, even execrable ones."
But most importantly coming on the heels of the proposed broadcast code, the Prime Minister’s actions suggest the birthing of something ominous, the weight of heavy handed state measures against a free and open media as evinced not only by the broadcast code, but also recent comments made by the Minister of Health as well as Minister of Information thinly veiled comments to journalists that the Government would need to revaluate its advertising spend.
There are always clouds before a storm. And this latest wake up call signifies dark days yet.
http://www.mangomediacaribbean.com/blog/trackback.cfm?85F3B3F7-3048-2D03-0A71296A51390E84
Judette Coward Puglisi (MSc, Dip IR, BA), Managing Director. Find out more 
My father and I argued about this issue for days and he believes that although he felt that the prime minister was out of place..someone had to put a stop to a lot of issues & a lot of things that take place on air. My argument is not the accuracy of the statement or the fairness but the manner in which he handled it. There is a media complaints council and MATT and other organizations where he could have voiced his opinion and lodge a formal complaint as an "Ordinary Citizen."
As the Prime Minister you have for your disposal a PR agent..who could have done up an immediate press release to send out to all media houses, clearing up the issuing and asking them to desist from "defaming" you and your government. BUT instead the PM chose to roll up in 94.1 and use intimidatory tactics.i assume that his presence alone is intimidating and call the the bosses into an office and lay it to them on the table "calmly." No Calm man is going to leave San Fernando and speed up the highway, taking a 40-60 minute drive to "calmly" visit a radio station after u were displeased with a statement made.
My thing is, why didn't the PM ask the radio station to go on air immediately and have a special sor something of the sort if it was so pressing? Let the public hear what u had to say immediately...
In a situation like this all media houses and all persons affiliated with the media should let their voices be heard! It makes me feel as though we are heading to a communist society..where is our freedom of press going man? **sighs** Come on Mr. PM...know your place!
Your dad is right though but let's take the conversation further, what happened is now in the past. To move forward, how would you advise the PM. What, if anything, should he be doing now to extend an olive branch to MATT, to the country?
I apologize but i do not quite understand what is meant by "extend an olive branch" I am not familiar with that term..
Oh! and extending an olive branch means making amends. It originated In the biblical story of the Noah and the great flood.
A freshly plucked olive branch was the first thing to give hope to Noah and his shipmates. This finding was soon followed by a promise that the flood would never be repeated.
As a result of that incident, an olive branch became a symbol of peace and good will.
So I was asking how should we advise the PM to make his peace, extend an arm of cordial respect to the media and is it even necessary?
Oh I feel a blog coming on......
At this stage I really cannot see anything that the Prime Minister can do. Maybe he can outline his grievances and his expectations of the media. Maybe he could push for stricter policies in the media and accountability.