The talk around town is that Prime Minister Patrick Manning is behind the suspension of two radio broadcasters from 94.1fm, one of two radio stations owned by the Gillette Group of Companies. the station's Vice President of Operations denies that.O’Brian Haynes confirmed that he received a complaint from Manning but insists that the radio announcers and newscaster were suspended for breaching station policy, not for offending the prime minister.
On Oct. 25 Manning heard a broadcast on the station while he was at his barber shop in San Fernando. The broadcasters commented on the budget and the rise of the price of premium gas. They also criticized Manning for suggesting that people should convert their cars to LNG, noting that there are serious risks associated with that.
Manning returned to Port of Spain and went to the 94.1 studios and demanded to see the manager. He subsequently telephoned Haynes and complained about the broadcast.
Haynes said the management suspended the two men because they were unprofessional and breached the station's policy about news and opinion.
“A lot has been said about it. People are saying they were suspended because the PM made a report. That is not so. They both broke protocol over the manner in which the radio station delivers the news," Haynes told the Trinidad Guardian adding, “We never supported the delivery of news with commentary and opinion."
He said the men should have known better than to present their opinions within a newscast. “We were especially concerned about commentary that is highly-opinionated, since it taints the integrity of the newscast," he said.
He told the Newsday newspaper he supports Manning's position that the newscast had been unprofessional journalistic behaviour. “He is right,” he said.
The Media Association of Trinidad and Tobago (MATT) issued a statement on the matter saying Manning acted improperly when he went to the radio station in person to complain.
In a news release, MATT president Marlon Hopkinson expressed concerns over the prime minister's actions saying it deems Manning's visit to the radio station "as inappropriate in light of the fact that it can be perceived as an attempt to intimidate or to stifle freedom of the press...The Association feels the Prime Minister has available to him many avenues of redress and should have perhaps considered the perception of his actions.”
Hopkinson added, “MATT values above all an independent media operating without interference or fear, however the Association as well notes that standards of journalism must be adhered to at all times.”
Opposition leader Basdeo Panday said Manning was out of line in going to the station and lodge a complaint. He said, "Such behaviour by a Prime Minister is undemocratic, arrogant and dictatorial at best since it tramples on the freedom of the media to perform its functions relating to scrutinizing government's conduct and policies without fear."
Panday, who as prime minister didn't have the most cordial relations with the media, said Manning's behaviour was unwarranted and was an attempt "to intimidate the media for performing their role and duty of demanding accountability – particularly crucial when one considers that this government has gone to great lengths to evade accounting to the public for the $250 billion that it has spent in the last seven years."
Panday noted that there are proper avenues and methods for lodging objections to material published in the media, including writing the media house management, the media complaints council, and the Telecommunications Authority.
"But speeding into Port of Spain from San Fernando to personally storm into a media house is beyond what is reasonable or acceptable. If this kind of behaviour is tolerated from the Prime Minister it will signal to other persons such as Ministers that they too are free to assault the media whenever anyone criticizes the government, and soon the media will be muzzled," Panday said.
He added, "In countries where democracy has fallen, it is not uncommon for dissenting voices to be dragged out into the streets and executed. Is that where Mr Manning proposes to take our country?"
And he urged the media and the public at large to resist all attempts by the government to muzzle and intimidate them "in the pursuit of truth and free responsible expression".
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